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2018
ENVIRONMENTAL CONVENTIONS
Archana
www.iasinsights.in
5/23/2018
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www.iasinsights.in; www.iasgyaan.com publishes about List of International Environment

Conventions for your quick revision. It covers good no of questions in Prelims. To make your
preparation easy we will publish about these conventions.
List of International Environment Conventions
1. Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Water birds

2. Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM Treaty) (ABMT)
3. ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution
4. Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate
5. Barcelona Convention for Protection against Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, 1976
6. Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes
and their Disposal, Basel, 1989
7. Biological Weapons Convention (Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,
Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological [Biological] and Toxin Weapons and on
their Destruction) (BWC)
8. Bonn Agreement
9. Carpathian Convention Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable
Development of the Carpathians
10. Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
11. Chemical Weapons Convention
12. China Australia Migratory Bird Agreement
13. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), 1996
14. Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR),
Canberra, 1980
15. Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora
16. Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
17. Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals
18. Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
19. Convention for Co-operation in the Protection and Development of the Marine and
Coastal Environment of the West and Central African Region, Abidjan, 1981
20. Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the
Wider Caribbean Region, Cartagena de Indias, 1983
21. Convention of the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and
Coastal Environment of the Eastern African Region, Nairobi, 1985
22. Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and Coastal Area of the
South-east Pacific, Lima, 1981
23. Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-east Atlantic
(OSPAR Convention), Paris, 1992
24. Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South
Pacific Region, Nouméa, 1986
25. Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency
(Assistance Convention), Vienna, 1986
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26. Convention on the Ban of the Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary
Movements and Management of Hazardous Wastes within Africa, Bamako, 1991
27. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Nairobi, 1992
28. Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
29. Convention on Civil Liability for Damage Caused during Carriage of Dangerous Goods
by Road, Rail, and Inland Navigation Vessels (CRTD), Geneva, 1989
30. Convention on Cluster Munitions
31. Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats
32. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), Bonn,
1979
33. Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident (Notification Convention),
Vienna, 1986
34. Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas
35. Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna
(CITES), Washington DC, 1973
36. Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
37. Convention on Nature Protection and Wild Life Preservation in the Western
Hemisphere, Washington DC, 1940
38. Convention on Nuclear Safety, Vienna, 1994
39. EMEP Protocol
40. Heavy Metals Protocol
41. Multi-effect Protocol (Gothenburg protocol) [6]
42. Nitrogen Oxide Protocol
43. POP Air Pollution Protocol
44. Sulphur Emissions Reduction Protocols 1985 and 1994
45. Volatile Organic Compounds Protocol
46. Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other
Matter
47. Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental
Modification Techniques
48. Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and
International Lakes (ECE Water Convention), Helsinki, 1992
49. Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution, Bucharest, 1992
50. Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area 1992
Helsinki Convention, Helsinki, 1992
51. Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents, Helsinki, 1992
52. Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat
(notably not a Multilateral Environmental Agreement)
53. Convention to Ban the Importation into Forum Island Countries of Hazardous and
Radioactive Wastes and to Control the Transboundary Movement and Management of
Hazardous Wastes within the South Pacific Region, Waigani, 1995
54. Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), Paris, 1994
55. Conventions within the UNEP Regional Seas Programme
56. Directive on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions
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57. European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by

Inland Waterways (AND), Geneva, 2000
58. European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by
Road (ADR), Geneva, 1957
59. FAO International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides, Rome,
1985
60. FAO International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources, Rome, 1983
61. Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian
Sea
62. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), New York, 1992
63. Geneva Protocol (Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating,
Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare)
64. International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), Rio de
Janeiro, 1966
65. International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
66. International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil, London,
1954, 1962, 1969
67. International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), Washington, 1946
68. International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
69. International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), Geneva, 1994
70. Kuwait Regional Convention for Co-operation on the Protection of the Marine
Environment from Pollution, Kuwait, 1978
71. Kyoto Protocol - greenhouse gas emission reductions
72. Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
73. Minamata Convention on Mercury, 2013
74. Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, Montreal, 1989
75. North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation
76. Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
77. Putrajaya Declaration of Regional Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the
Seas of East Asia, Malaysia, 2003
78. Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl
Habitat, Ramsar, 1971
79. Regional Convention for the Conservation of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden
Environment, Jeddah, 1982
80. Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain
Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, Rotterdam, 1998
81. Stockholm Convention Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
Stockholm, 2001
82. Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under
Water
83. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
84. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
85. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
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86. Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, Vienna, 1985, including the
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, Montreal 1987
87. Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, Vienna, 1963
88. Western Regional Climate Action Initiative
89. Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration) Convention, 1977
Environmental Convention
1. Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Water birds
Aim:
 AEWA is an intergovernmental treaty dedicated to the conservation of migratory
water birds and their habitats across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia,
Greenland and the Canadian Archipelago throughout their entire migratory range.
Works under:
 Developed under the framework of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and
administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Species covered:
 AEWA covers 254 species of birds ecologically dependent on wetlands for at least part
of their annual cycle.
Members:
 Currently 76 countries and the European Union (EU) have become a Contracting Party
to AEWA.
 The latest, sixth Session of the Meeting of the Parties took place from 9-14 November
2015 in Bonn, Germany.
The Agreement has three main bodies:
1. The Meeting of the Parties (MOP), which is the governing body of AEWA,
2. The Standing Committee (StC) responsible for steering the operations between
sessions of the MOP.
3. Technical Committee (TC) for providing scientific advice.
Action plan:
 The Action Plan, which is legally binding for all countries that have joined the
Agreement.
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 The AEWA Action Plan specifies different measures to be undertaken by the parties
within their national boundaries.
 Special protective measures are to be implemented for those water bird populations
of particular conservation concern, listed in Column A of the Action Plan.
Treaty signed:
 The use of lead shot over wetlands has been banned by the signatories to the
convention on account of the poisoning it causes.
2. Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM Treaty or ABMT)
 The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (1972—2002) was an arms control treaty between
the United States and the Soviet Union.
Objective:
 Limitation of the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems used in defending areas
against ballistic missile-delivered nuclear weapons.
Conditions:
 Each party was limited to two ABM complexes, each of which was to be limited to 100
anti-ballistic missiles.
Evolution of the treaty:
 The United States first proposed an anti-ballistic missile treaty at the 1967 Glass boro
Summit Conference.
 The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks began in November 1969 (SALT I).
 Signed in 1972 in Moscow summit, it was in force for the next 30 years.
 In 1997, five years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, four former Soviet
republics agreed with the United States to succeed the USSR's role in the treaty.
 In June 2002 the United States withdrew from the treaty, leading to its termination.
3. ASEAN Agreement on Trans boundary Haze Pollution
 The ASEAN Agreement on Trans boundary Haze Pollution is a legally
binding environmental agreement signed in 2002 to reduce haze
pollution in Southeast Asia.
Members:
 All member states of the ASEAN.
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Objective:
 The Agreement recognizes that Trans boundary haze pollution which result from land
and/or forest fires should be mitigated through concerted national efforts and
international co-operation.
Institutional structure:
 The agreement is managed by the Ministers of Environment and other representatives
from the respective ASEAN countries.
 Meetings are coordinated under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council.
 In October 2013 ASEAN leaders approved a joint haze monitoring system at a cost of
$100,000 USD.
4. Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate

 Also known as APP, was an international, voluntary, non-legally binding public-private
partnership.
 Announced on July 28, 2005 at an ASEAN Regional Forum meeting and launched on
January 12, 2006 at the Partnership's inaugural Ministerial meeting in Sydney.
Aim:
 Outline a ground-breaking new model of private-public task forces to address climate
change, energy security and air pollution.
Members:
 Australia, Canada, India, Japan, the People’s Republic of China, South Korea, and
the United States.
Areas of cooperation:
1. cleaner fossil energy
2. renewable energy and distributed generation
3. power generation and transmission
4. steel
5. aluminum
6. cement
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7. coal mining
8. buildings and appliances
Various summits:
 The second meeting was held in New Delhi on October 15 2007 and the third in
shanghai, China on October 2009.
 Partner countries agreed to co-operate on the development and transfer of
technology which enables reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that is consistent
with and complementary to the UNFCCC but not replace the Kyoto Protocol.
5. Barcelona Convention
 Originally it was adopted as Convention for Protection of the Mediterranean Sea
against Pollution in 1976.
 Later it was amended as Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine
Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean in 1995.
Aim:
 It is a regional convention to prevent and abate pollution from ships, aircraft and land
based sources in the Mediterranean Sea.
 This includes but is not limited to dumping, run-off and discharges.
Members:
 All countries with a Mediterranean shoreline as well as the European Union.
 NGOs with a stated interest and third-party governments are allowed observer status.
About the convention:
 The Barcelona Convention and its protocols forms the basis of the Mediterranean
Action Plan, itself part of the UNEP Regional Seas Programme.
 Signers agreed to cooperate and assist in dealing with pollution emergencies,
monitoring and scientific research.
 The convention is applicable to the 'Zone of the Mediterranean Sea'.
 This is defined as 'the maritime waters of the Mediterranean as such, with all its gulfs
and tributary seas, bounded to the west by the Strait of Gibraltar and to the east by
the Dardanelle Strait'.
 Members are allowed to extend the application of the convention to the coastal areas
within their own territory.
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6. Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes

and Their Disposal
Aim:
 It is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous
waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste
from developed to less developed countries (LDCs).
Members:
 The Convention was opened for signature on 22 March 1989, and entered into force
on 5 May 1992.
 185 states and the European Union are parties to the Convention.
 Haiti and the United States have signed the Convention but not ratified it.
 The Convention is intended to minimize the amount and toxicity of wastes generated,
to ensure their environmentally sound management.
It does not address the movement of radioactive waste.
 It monitors the source of generation, and to assist LDCs in environmentally sound
management of the hazardous and other wastes they generate.
 Several regional waste trade bans, such as the Bamako Convention and Basel ban
convention were adopted.
7. Biological Weapons Convention

 Otherwise called as Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production
and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their
Destruction or Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC).
 It was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the production of an entire
category of weapons.
Purpose:
 To prohibit the development, production, and stockpiling of biological and Toxin
Weapons.
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 To supplement the 1925 General Protocol which prohibits use but not possession or
development of chemical and biological weapons.
Members:
 It was opened for signature on 10 April 1972 and entered into force 26 March 1975
when twenty-two governments had deposited their instruments of ratification.
 Presently 180 states are party to the convention as of January 2018.
Location:
 London, Moscow, and Washington, D.C.
 India has signed as well as ratified the convention.
8. Bonn Agreement
 The Bonn Agreement is a European environmental agreement.
Aim:
 To ensure mutual cooperation in the avoidance and combating of
environmental pollution.
Why?
 Following several oil spills in 1969, the coastal nations of the North Sea formed the
Bonn Agreement.
 The agreement was revised in 1983 to include the European Union and again in 2001
to allow Ireland to join.
Members:
 Belgium, Denmark, the European Community, France, Germany, Ireland,
the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
9. Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians
 Carpathian Convention is a comprehensive policy and cooperating in the protection
and sustainable development of the Carpathians.
 Aim:
 It aims at providing conservation and restoration of unique, rare and typical natural
complexes and objects of recreational and other importance situated in the heart
of Europe, preventing them from negative anthropogenic influences.
Members:
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 Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia and
Ukraine.
 In 2001, UNEP promoted an Alpine-Carpathian Partnership.
 In 2002, during the UN International Year of the Mountains, the Alpine-Carpathian
partnership has been initiated and launched.
 At the Fifth Ministerial Conference, the Carpathian countries adopted the Framework
Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians.
10. Cartagena Protocol on Bio safety
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international agreement on biosafety as a
supplement to the Convention on Biological Diversity effective since 2003.
Aim:
To protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by genetically modified
organisms resulting from modern biotechnology (In accordance with the precautionary
approach of the Rio summit)
Members:
 The Protocol had 171 parties, which includes 168 United Nations member states,
the State of Palestine, Niue, and the European Union
 India is also a member of the protocol.
Relations with WTO:
A number of agreements under the WTO contain provisions that are relevant to the
Protocol such as the
1. Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phyto sanitary Measures (SPS
Agreement)
2. Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement)
3. Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights(TRIPs),
 The Protocol promotes bio safety by establishing rules and procedures for the safe
transfer, handling, and use of living modified organisms (LMO's), with specific focus on
trans boundary movements of LMO's.
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 The Protocol's Advance informed agreement (AIA) procedure does not apply to
certain categories of LMO's:
 LMOs in transit;
 LMOs destined for contained use;
 LMOs intended for direct use as food or feed or for processing
11. Chemical Weapons Convention
 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of
Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.
 It is an arms control treaty that outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use
of chemical weapons and their precursors.
 It is administered by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW), an intergovernmental organization based in The Hague, The
Netherlands.
 The 2013 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the organization.
 The treaty entered into force in 1997.
Objective:
 CWC prohibits the large-scale use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer
of chemical weapons.
 Very limited production for research, medical, pharmaceutical or protective purposes
is still permitted.
 The convention is to effect this prohibition, as well as the destruction of all current
chemical weapons.
 All destruction activities must take place under OPCW verification.
Members:
As of April 2016, 192 states, representing over 98 percent of the world's population, are
party to the CWC.
 Of the four United Nations member states that are not parties to the treaty, Israel has
signed but not ratified the treaty, while Egypt, North Korea, and South Sudan have
neither signed nor acceded to the Convention.
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 Neither has the State of Palestine, which since becoming a UN observer state in 2012
is eligible to accede to the Convention.
 Taiwan, though not a Member State, has stated that it complies with the treaty.
12. China–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement
 The CAMBA is a treaty between Australia and China to minimize harm to the major
areas used by migratory birds which migrate between the two countries.
 CAMBA was first developed on October 20, 1986 and came into force on September 1,
1988.
Definition of the term "migratory birds":
(a) Birds for which there is reliable evidence of migration between the two countries from the
recovery of bands or other markers; and
(b) Birds which are jointly determined by the competent authorities of the Contracting Parties
to migrate between the two countries on the basis of published reports, photographs and
other information.
However, migratory birds known to have been introduced by man to either country shall be
excluded.
The parties need to --
 To establish sanctuaries and other facilities for the management and protection of
migratory birds and also of their environment.
 To seek means to prevent damage to migratory birds and their environment.
13. Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)
 It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996, but
has not entered into force, as eight specific states have not ratified the treaty.
Aim:
 It is a multilateral treaty that bans all nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military
purposes, in all environments.
Members:
 183 states have signed the treaty but only 166 ratified it.
 Eight states have not ratified the treaty: China, Egypt, Iran, Israel and the United
States have signed but not ratified the Treaty; India, North Korea and Pakistan have
not signed it.
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1. Each State Party undertakes not to carry out any nuclear weapon test explosion or any
other nuclear explosion, and to prohibit and prevent any such nuclear explosion at
any place under its jurisdiction or control.
2. Each State Party undertakes, to refrain from causing, encouraging, or in any way
participating in the carrying out of any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other
nuclear explosion.
14. Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, and Commission
for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
 CCAMLR is a part of the Antarctic Treaty System.
 The Convention was opened for signature on 1 August 1980 and entered into force on
7 April 1982 by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living
Resources, headquartered in Tasmania, Australia.
Objective:
 The goal is to preserve marine life and environmental integrity in and near Antarctica.
Members:
 24 member states and 11 acceding states.
 India is also a party to the convention.
 It was established in large part to concerns that an increase in krill catches in
the Southern Ocean could have a serious impact on populations of other marine life
which are dependent upon krill for food.
 On 28 October 2016 at its annual meeting in Hobart, a Ross Sea marine park was
finally declared by the CCAMLR, under an agreement signed by 24 countries and
the European Union. It protects over 1.5 million square kilometers of sea, and is the
world's largest.
15. Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora
 It is a set of measures agreed on the third "Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting" in
Brussels 1964.
 It is part of the Antarctic Treaty System but has been designated no longer "current"
in 2011.
Objective:
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 To further international collaboration within the framework of the Antarctic Treaty to

promote and achieve the objectives of protection, scientific study, and rational use of
these fauna and flora.
Members:
 21 parties to the Convention.
 India is also a member of the convention.
 Ratification by Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, new Zealand,
Norway, south Africa, the Soviet Union, the U.S, the U.K. IS mandatory.
Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals
 The "Antarctic Seals" agreement is part of the Antarctic Treaty System.
 It was signed at the conclusion of a multilateral conference in London on February 11,
1972.
 It was opened for ratification on June 1, 1972 and entered into force on March 11,
1978.
Objective:
 To promote and achieve the protection, scientific study, and rational use of
Antarctic seals, and to maintain a satisfactory balance within the ecological system of
Antarctica.
Members:
 There are 17 parties to the
convention.Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy
, Japan, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, South Africa, United Kingdom, and United
States.
 New Zealand has signed, but not ratified the convention.
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
 Also known as the Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, or the Madrid Protocol, is part of
the Antarctic Treaty System.
 It was concluded in Madrid and opened for signature on October 4, 1991 and entered
into force on January 14, 1998. The treaty will be open for review in 2048.
Objective:
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 It provides for comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment and dependent

and associated ecosystems.
 Any activity relating to mineral resources, other than scientific research, shall be
prohibited.
 It requires environmental assessment for all activities, including tourism.
 It creates a Committee for Environmental Protection for the continent.
Members:
 As of May 2013, the protocol has been ratified by 34 parties including India.
 A further 11 states — Austria, Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, Guatemala, Hungary, North
Korea, Papua New Guinea, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Turkey — have signed but not
yet ratified it.
Convention for Co-operation in the Protection and Development of the Marine and Coastal
Environment of the West and Central African Region, Abidjan, 1981
 There are 17 parties to the convention.
 It entered into force on 5 August 1984.
Purpose:
 Conscious of the economic, social and health value of the marine environment and
coastal areas of the West and Central African Region.
 Fully aware of their responsibility to preserve their natural heritage for the benefit
and enjoyment of present and future generations.
 Recognizing the threat to the marine and coastal environment, its ecological
equilibrium, resources and legitimate uses posed by pollution.
 To ensure sustainable, environmentally-sound development through a co-ordinated
and comprehensive approach
 A carefully planned research, monitoring and assessment programme in view of the
scarcity of scientific information on marine pollution.
Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider
Caribbean Region, Cartagena de Indies, 1983
 The Cartagena Convention is a regional legal agreement for the protection of the
Caribbean Sea.
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 The Convention was adopted in Cartagena, Colombia on 24 March 1983 and entered
into force on 11 October 1986.
 The Convention is supported by three technical agreements or Protocols on :
1. Oil Spills
2. Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW)
3. Land Based Sources of Marine Pollution (LBS).
 The Regional Coordinating Unit (UNEP-CAR /RCU) was established in 1986 in Kingston,
Jamaica and is the Secretariat to the Cartagena Convention and its Protocols.
Focus areas:
 The Convention covers several aspects of marine pollution for which the Contracting
Parties must adopt specific measures.
 These measures include to prevent, reduce and control:
1. Pollution from ships
2. pollution caused by dumping
3. pollution from sea-bed activities
4. airborne pollution
5. pollution from land-based sources and activities
Countries who are Contracting Parties to the Convention are also required to:
1. Protect and preserve rare or fragile ecosystems and habitats of depleted, threatened
or endangered species; and
2. Develop technical and other guidelines for the planning and environmental impact
assessments of important development projects.
Convention of the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal
Environment of the Eastern African Region, Nairobi, 1985
 The Convention entered into force on March 30, 1996
Objectives:
 To protect and manage the marine environment and coastal areas of the Eastern
African region.
Focus areas:
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 Mineral resources, Sea, Water, Wild species & ecosystems, Air & atmosphere.
 The Parties agree to take all appropriate measures to prevent, reduce and combat
pollution of the Convention area, particularly pollution from ships, dumping, land-
based sources, exploration and exploitation of the sea bed, and airborne pollution.
Institutional mechanism:
 The Convention designates UNEP to discharge Secretariat functions under the
Convention.
 The Convention includes an annex, establishing arbitration procedures for resolution
of disputes between Contracting Parties.
Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and Coastal Area of the South-east
Pacific, Lima, 1981
Objective:
 To protect the marine environment and coastal zones of the South-East Pacific within
the 200-mile area of maritime sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Parties, and beyond
that area, the high seas up to a distance within which pollution of the high seas may
affect that area.
Institutional mechanisms:
 Parties are to convene ordinary and extraordinary meetings, within the framework of
the Permanent Commission of the South Pacific (CPPS), for reviewing the
implementation of the Convention.
 The Permanent Commission for the South Pacific undertakes the secretariat functions.
 The agreement came into force on May 19, 1986.
Focus areas:
 Environment gen., Land & soil, Sea, Waste & hazardous substances, Fisheries
Area covered:
 North-East Pacific, South-Eastern Pacific, South America, Central America, East Pacific,
South Atlantic, Amazonia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
 The Parties agree to take all necessary measures to prevent, reduce and control
pollution of the Convention area particularly pollution from land-based sources, from
or through the atmosphere, from vessels and from any other installations and devices
operating in the marine environment.
 They further undertake to prevent, reduce, combat and control coastal erosion.
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Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-east Atlantic (OSPAR
Convention), Paris, 1992
 OSPAR convention is the current legislative instrument regulating international
cooperation on environmental protection in the North-East Atlantic.
Objective:
 The OSPAR convention regulates European standards on marine biodiversity,
eutrophication, the release of hazardous and radioactive substances into the seas, the
off-shore oil and gas industry and baseline monitoring of environmental conditions.
 The OSPAR Convention was concluded at Paris on 22 September 1992.
 The first Ministerial Meeting of the OSPAR Commission at Sintra, Portugal, in 1998.
How it works?
 It combines and up-dates the 1972 Oslo Convention on dumping waste at sea and the
1974 Paris Convention on land-based sources of marine pollution.
 Work carried out under the convention is managed by the OSPAR COMMISSION.
 It is made up of representatives of the Governments of the 15 signatory nations, and
representatives of the European Commission, representing the European Union.
 In 2000, the OSPAR Commission published a comprehensive report on the quality of
the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic.
 This was supported by five smaller reports on the different parts of the OSPAR
maritime area –
1. The Arctic
2. The Greater North Sea
3. The Celtic Seas
4. The Bay of Biscay/ Golfe de Gascogne and Iberian waters
5. The Wider Atlantic.
Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific
Region, Nouméa, 1986
Objectives:
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 To protect and manage the natural resources and environment of the South Pacific
region.
 The agreement came into force on August 22 1990.Meetings of the Parties are to be
held every two years.
Focusing areas:
 Sea, Waste & hazardous substances, Air & atmosphere, Mineral resources, Water,
Environment gen., Land & soil, Wild species & ecosystems
 They are to ensure that the implementation of this Convention does not result in an
increase in pollution in the marine environment outside the Convention area.
 They undertake to prohibit the storage of radioactive wastes in the Convention area.
 The South Pacific Commission (now SPREP Pacific Regional Environment Programme)
shall function as secretariat of the Convention.
Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency
(Assistance Convention), Vienna, 1986
 It is a 1986 Treaty of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Purpose:
 The states have agreed to provide notification to the IAEA of any assistance that they
can provide in the case of a nuclear accident that occurs in another state that has
ratified the treaty.
Why?
 Along with the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident, it was adopted
in direct response to the April 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
 Significantly, the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR —the states that were
responsible for the Chernobyl disaster—both signed the treaty at the conference and
quickly ratified it.
Members:
 As of 2016, there are 112 states that have ratified or acceded to the Convention, plus
the European Atomic Energy Community, the FAO, the WHO, and the World
Meteorological Organization.
 Countries that have denounced and withdrawn from the agreement are Bulgaria,
Hungary, Mongolia, and Poland.
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Convention on the Ban of the Import into Africa and the Control of Trans boundary
Movements and Management of Hazardous Wastes within Africa, Bamako, 1991
Aim:
 Bamako Convention is a Treaty of African nations prohibiting the import of any
hazardous (including radioactive) waste.
 The Convention was negotiated by twelve nations of the Organisation of African
Unity at Bamako, Mali in January, 1991, and came into force in 1998.
Why this?
 The failure of the Basel Convention to prohibit trade of hazardous waste to less
developed countries (LDCs),
 Many developed nations were exporting toxic wastes to Africa.
Bamako conference:
 The first Conference of the Parties to the Bamako Convention convened from 24–26
June 2013 at Bamako, Mali.
 During the conference, parties agreed that the UNEP would carry out the Bamako
Convention Secretariat functions.
 They strengthen its ties with the Secretariat of
Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
 Additionally, it does not make exceptions on certain hazardous wastes (like those for
radioactive materials) made by the Basel Convention.
Parties to the Bamako Convention attended COP 1:
 Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gambia, Libya, Mali, Mozambique, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal,
Togo and Tunisia.
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
 CBD is known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty.
 The Convention was opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 5
June 1992 and entered into force on 29 December 1993.
Objective:
1. To develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biological
diversity.
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2. It is often seen as the key document regarding sustainable development.

3. The Convention has three main goals including:
 The conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity);
 The sustainable use of its components;
 The fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.
Nagoya Protocol:
 Adopted at the 2010 10th Conference of Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological
Diversity in October in Nagoya.
 Its objective is the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of
genetic resources, thereby contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of
biodiversity.
Cartagena Protocol:
 The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety of the Convention, also known as the Biosafety
Protocol, was adopted in January 2000.
 The Biosafety Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks
posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.
Global Plant Conservation Strategy:
 In April 2002, the parties of the UN CBD adopted a 16-point plan aiming to slow the
rate of plant extinctions around the world by 2010.
Members:
 As of 2016, the Convention has 196 parties, which includes 195 states and the
European Union.
 All UN member states—with the exception of the United States—have ratified the
treaty.
 Non-UN member states that have ratified are the Cook Islands, Niue, and the State of
Palestine.
 The Holy See and the States with limited recognition are non-parties.
United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
 The CCW or CCWC concluded at Geneva on October 10, 1980, and entered into force in
December 1983.
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 The full title is Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain

Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have
Indiscriminate Effects.
Objective:
 It seeks to prohibit or restrict the use of certain conventional weapons which are
considered excessively injurious or whose effects are indiscriminate.
The convention has five protocols:
 Protocol I restricts weapons with non-detectable fragments
 Protocol II restricts landmines, Bobby traps
 Protocol III restricts incendiary weapons
 Protocol IV restricts blinding laser Weapons(adopted on October 13, 1995, in Vienna)
 Protocol V sets out obligations and best practice for the clearance of explosive
remnants of war, adopted on November 28, 2003, in Geneva.
CCWC along with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) serves as an umbrella for
protocols dealing with specific weapons.
Convention on Civil Liability for Damage Caused during Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road,
Rail, and Inland Navigation Vessels (CRTD), Geneva, 1989
 The CRTD Convention was prepared by the International Institute for the Unification
of Private Law (UNIDROIT).
 It was adopted by the Inland Transport Committee of the Economic Commission for
Europe at its fifty-first session, held in Geneva, from 2 to 10 October 1989.
 The CRTD was opened for signature on 1 February 1990.
Members:
 Germany and Morocco have signed the Convention. Liberia deposited its instruments
of accession to the CRTD.
Why?
 To determine how to eliminate the obstacles -such as those related to the limit of
liability and compulsory insurance- to the entry into force of the CRTD.
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 To propose, on the basis of these consultations and of proposals by Governments,

application of the CRTD to the various modes of transport.
 To report to the Inland Transport Committee at its 2003 session on progress made and
difficulties encountered.
 To submit to the Inland Transport Committee a reviewed text of the CRTD
incorporating the modifications mentioned above for possible adoption as a new
convention at its 2004 session.
 To report to the inland Transport committee at its 2003 session on progress made and
difficulties encountered;
 To submit to the Inland Transport committee a reviewed text of the CRTD
incorporating the modifications mentioned above for possible adoption as a new
convention at its 2004 session.
Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM)
 The convention was adopted on 30 May2008 in Dublin, and was opened for signature
on 3 December 2008 in Oslo. It entered into force on 1 August 2010.
Objective:
 It is an international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster
bombs, a type of explosive weapon which scatters submunitions ("bomblets") over an
area.
Members:
 There are 102 parties to the convention. 17 states have signed but not ratified.
 India has neither signed nor acceded to the Convention.
 Countries that ratify the convention will be obliged "never under any circumstances
to":
(a) Use cluster munitions;
(b) Develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, retain or transfer to anyone, directly or
indirectly, cluster munitions;
(c) Assist, encourage or induce anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party
under this Convention.
Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats
 Also known as the Berne Convention, is a binding international legal instrument in the
field of Nature Conservation.
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 The Convention was open for signature on 19 September 1979 and came into force on
1 June 1982.
Why?
 It covers the natural heritage in Europe, as well as in some African countries.
 It is particularly concerned about protecting natural habitats and endangered species,
including migratory species.
Aims:
 To conserve wild Flora and Fauna and their natural habitats
 To promote cooperation between states
 To give particular attention to endangered and vulnerable species including
endangered and vulnerable migratory species
Duties of the Parties:
 promote national conservation policies
 promote measures against pollution
 promote educational and informative measures
 co-ordinate efforts to protect migratory species
 establish legislative and administrative measures
Members:
 There are 51 parties to the convention which includes states within and outside the
council of Europe.
 European Union is also a member of the convention.
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), Bonn, 1979
More commonly known as Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) or the Bonn
Convention. The CMS COP is known as Global Wildlife conference.
Aim:
 To conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range.
 It is an international treaty, concluded under the aegis of the United Nations
Environment Programme concerned with the conservation of wildlife and habitats on
a global scale.
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Members:
 124 Parties from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
 India is a party to the convention.
 The Convention was signed in 1979 and entered into force in 1983.
 The CMS is the only global and UN-based intergovernmental organization established
exclusively for the conservation and management of terrestrial, aquatic and avian
migratory species throughout their range.
Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident
 It, along with the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or
Radiological Emergency, was adopted in direct response to the April 1986 Chernobyl
disaster.
Purpose:
 It is a 1986 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) treaty whereby states have
agreed to provide notification of any nuclear accident that occur within its jurisdiction
that could affect other states.
 The information to be reported includes the incident's time, location, and the
suspected amount of radioactivity release.
Parties:
 119 state parties have ratified the Convention.
 The European Atomic Energy Community, the Food and Agriculture Organization,
the World Health Organization, and the World Meteorological Organization have also
entered into the Convention.
 The states that have ratified the Convention but have since denounced it and
withdrawn from the agreement are Bulgaria, Hungary, Mongolia, and Poland.
Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas
 The convention was opened for signature on 29 April 1958 and entered into force
on 20 March 1966.
Purpose:
 To solve through international cooperation the problems involved in the conservation
of living resources of the high seas, considering that because of the development of
modern technology some of these resources are in danger of being over exploited.
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Members:
parties - (39) Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina
Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican
Republic, Fiji, Finland, France, Haiti, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi,
Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra
Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and
Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela.
countries that have signed, but not yet ratified -
(20) Afghanistan, Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, CostaRica, Cuba, Ghana, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Is
rael, Lebanon, Liberia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

 CITES, also known as the Washington Convention is a multilateral treaty to protect
endangered plants and animals.
 It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of
the IUCN.
 The convention was opened for signature in 1973 and CITES entered into force on 1
July 1975.
Aim:
 To ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not
threaten the survival of the species in the wild, and it accords varying degrees of
protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants.
 In order to ensure that the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was not
violated, the Secretariat of GATT was consulted during the drafting process.
Members:
 There are 180 parties to the convention including India.
Meetings:
 The Conference of the Parties (CoP) is held once every three years.
 The last Conference of the Parties (CoP 17) was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
 The next one (CoP 18) will be in Sri Lanka in 2019.
Appendix I:
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 About 1200 species, are species that are threatened with extinction and are or may be
affected by trade.
 Commercial trade in wild-caught specimens of these species is illegal (permitted only
in exceptional licensed circumstances).
Appendix II:
 About 21,000 species, are species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction,
but may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict
regulation in order to avoid utilization incompatible with the survival of the species in
the wild.
Appendix III:
 About 170 species, are species that are listed after one member country has asked
other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling trade in a species.
 The species are not necessarily threatened with extinction globally.
 In all member countries, trade in these species is only permitted with an appropriate
export permit and a certificate of origin from the state of the member country who
has listed the species.
Convention on Long-Range Trans boundary Air Pollution

 It is implemented by the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP),
directed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
Objective:
 CLRTAP is intended to protect the human environment against air pollution and to
gradually reduce and prevent air pollution, including long-range transboundary air
pollution.
Members:
 The convention opened for signature on 1979-11-13 and entered into force on 1983-
03-16 and the Convention now has 51 Parties.
The three main subsidiary bodies:-
1. the Working Group on Effects
2. the Steering Body to EMEP
3. the Working Group on Strategies and Review
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 The Parties meet annually at sessions of the Executive Body. The Convention's
Implementation Committee, report to the Executive Body each year.
 Parties develop policies and strategies to combat the discharge of air pollutants
through exchanges of information, consultation, research and monitoring.
Convention on Nature Protection and Wild Life Preservation in the Western Hemisphere,
Washington DC, 1940
 The Convention entered into force on May 1 1942.
Objectives:
 To preserve in their natural habitats all species and genera of native American fauna
and flora from extinction.
 To preserve areas of extraordinary beauty, striking geological formations or regions of
aesthetic, historic or scientific value.
Areas covered:
 Latin America and the Caribbean, North America.
Provisions:
 Parties undertake to establish national parks, national reserves, nature monuments,
and strict wilderness reserves.
 This Convention aims to secure the protection of all species of flora and fauna and
their habitats.
 Permits rational utilisation of migratory birds for sport, food, commercial, industrial or
scientific purposes.
 Special protection accorded to certain species where action is needed of special
urgency or importance.
Convention on Nuclear Safety, Vienna, 1994
 The Convention on Nuclear Safety is a 1994 International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) treaty that governs safety rules at nuclear power plants in state parties
to the Convention.
Purpose:
 The Convention creates obligations on state parties to implement certain safety rules
and standards at all civil facilities related to nuclear energy.
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 These include issues of site selection; design and construction; operation and safety
verification; and emergency preparedness.
When?
 The Convention was adopted in Vienna, Austria, at an IAEA diplomatic conference on
17 June 1994.
 It was opened for signature on 20 September 1994 and has been signed by 65 states; it
entered into force on 24 October 1996 after it had been ratified by 22 signatories.
Members:
 As of July 2015, there are 78 state parties to the Convention plus the European Atomic
Energy Community.
 The states that have signed the treaty but have not ratified it
include Algeria, Cuba, Egypt, Ghana, Iceland, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Monaco, Mor
occo, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Philippines, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Uruguay.
Protocol on Heavy Metals
 It is a protocol to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, was
adopted in Aarhus, Denmark in 1998.
Aim:
 The protocol addresses the reduction of cadmium, lead and Mercury emissions in the
interests of environmental protection.
Members:
 As of 2004, it had 36 signatories. As of 2016, it had 35 signatories and 33 parties, with
no country having become a signatory since 1998.
 Amendments to the Protocol were agreed in 2012 to introduce more
stringent emission limits but are not yet in force.
1985 Helsinki Protocol on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions

Objective:
 Agreement that provided for a 30 per cent reduction in Sulphur emissions or
transboundary fluxes by 1993.
 It is a 1985 protocol to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
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 The protocol has been supplemented by the 1994 Oslo Protocol on Further Reduction
of Sulphur Emissions.
 It was opened for signature on July 8, 1985 and entered into force on September 2,
1987
Member: 25 parties
 Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, L
ithuania, Luxembourg, Republic of Macedonia, Netherlands,
Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine.
1994 Oslo Protocol on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions
Objective:
 To provide for a further reduction in sulphur emissions or trans boundary fluxes.
 It is a protocol to the Convention on Long-Range Trans boundary Air Pollution.
 It supplements the 1985 Helsinki Protocol on the Reduction of sulphur Emissions.
 It was opened for signature on 14 June 1994 and entered into force on 5 August 1998
Members: 29 parties
 Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, European
Union, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithua
nia, Luxembourg, Republic of
Macedonia, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzer
land, United Kingdom
 Countries that have signed, but not yet ratified- Poland, Russia, Ukraine.
Volatile Organic Compounds Protocol

 The Protocol Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or
Their Transboundary Fluxes (known as the VOC protocol).
Aim:
 To provide for the control and reduction of emissions of volatile organic compounds in
order to reduce their trans boundary fluxes so as to protect human health and the
environment from adverse effects.
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 It is a protocol to the Convention on Long-Range Trans boundary Air Pollution.

 The protocol was concluded at Geneva, Switzerland.
 Opened for signature- November 18, 1991
 Entered into force- September 29, 1997
24 Parties-
 Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Li
thuania, Luxembourg, Republic of
Macedonia, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Unit
ed Kingdom
 Countries that have signed, but not yet ratified- Canada, European
Union, Greece, Portugal, Ukraine, United States
Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter
1972
 Commonly called the "London Convention" or "LC '72" and also abbreviated as Marine
Dumping.
Aim:
 It is an agreement to control pollution of the sea by dumping and to encourage
regional agreements supplementary to the Convention.
Background:
 The Convention was called for by the United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment (June 1972, Stockholm).
 The treaty was drafted at the Intergovernmental Conference on the Convention on the
Dumping of Wastes at Sea (13 November 1972, London).
Members:
 It entered into force in 1975. As of September 2016, there were 89 Parties to the
Convention.
 India is not a signatory to the Convention.
Focus areas:
 It covers the deliberate disposal at sea of wastes or other matter from vessels,
aircraft, and platforms.
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1. It does not cover discharges from land-based sources such as pipes and outfalls,
wastes generated incidental to normal operation of vessels, or placement of materials
for purposes other than mere disposal, providing such disposal is not contrary to aims
of the Convention.
Multi-effect Proto color the Gothenburg Protocol

 Also known as the 1999 Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication
and Ground-level Ozone.
 As of August 2014, the Protocol had been ratified by 26 parties, which includes 25
states and the European Union.
 The Protocol is part of the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution.
Members:
 The geographic scope of the Protocol includes Europe, North America and countries of
Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA).
Purpose:
 It is a multi-pollutant protocol designed to reduce acidification,
eutrophication and Ground-level ozone by setting emissions ceilings for sulphur
dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and ammonia to be met by 2010.
 The Parties agreed to include more stringent emission reduction commitments for
2020, including reduction targets for particulate matter (PM).
 The protocol also includes, as the first international agreement between countries,
measures addressing short-lived climate forcers, such as black carbon.
Nitrogen Oxide Protocol
 It is a Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary
Fluxes.
 It was opened for signature on 31 October 1988 and entered into force on 14 February
1991. It was concluded in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Objective:
 To provide for the control or reduction of nitrogen oxides and their transboundary
fluxes.
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Parties:
 As of September 2016 there are 36 parties to the protocol.
 Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European
Union, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithua
nia, Luxembourg, Republic of
Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia. Spain, Sweden, S
witzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.
POP Air Pollution Protocol
 The Aarhus Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants, a 1998 protocol on persistent
organic pollutants (POPs).
 It is an addition to the 1979 Geneva Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air
Pollution (LRTAP).
 The protocol was amended on 18 December 2009, but the amended version has not
yet come into force.
Aim:
 To control, reduce or eliminate discharge, emissions and losses of persistent organic
pollutants in Europe, some former Soviet Union countries, and the United States, in
order to reduce their transboundary fluxes so as to protect human health and the
environment from adverse effects.
Members:
 As of May 2013, the protocol has been ratified by 31 states and the European Union.
Functions:
 A list of 16 substances that have been singled out according to agreed risk criteria
(comprising eleven pesticides, two industrial chemicals and three by-
products/contaminants).
 The Protocol assigned the arrangements for proper disposal of waste products
deemed banned and limited, including medical supplies.
Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental

Modification Techniques
 Otherwise called Environmental Modification Convention (ENMOD).
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Objective:
 An international treaty prohibiting the military or other hostile use of environmental
modification techniques having widespread, long-lasting or severe effects.
Members:
 The Convention was signed by 48 states; 16 of the signatories have not ratified. As of
January 2018, the Convention has 78 state parties.
 It opened for signature on 18 May 1977 in Geneva and entered into force on 5 October
1978.
Conditions of the agreement:
 The Convention bans weather warfare, which is the use of weather
modification techniques for the purposes of inducing damage or destruction.
 The Convention on Biological Diversity of 2010 would also ban some forms of weather
modification or geoengineering.
 Many states do not regard this as a complete ban on the use of herbicidesin warfare,
such as Agent Orange, but it does require case-by-case consideration
Environmental Modification Technique:
 This includes any technique for changing the dynamics, composition or structure of
the earth, including its biota, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, or of outer
space, through the deliberate manipulation of natural processes.
Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International
Lakes
 Also known as the Water Convention, is an international environmental
agreement and one of five UNECE's negotiated environmental treaties.
Purpose:
 To improve national attempts and measures for protection and management of
transboundary surface waters and ground waters.
 On the international level, Parties are obliged to cooperate and create joint bodies.
 Parties to the convention:
 It was opened for signature in Helsinki on 17 March 1992 and entered into force on 6
October 1996.
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 As of July 2015, it had been ratified by 41 parties, which includes 40 states and the
European Union.
 It has been signed but not ratified by the United Kingdom.
Convention includes provisions on:
 Monitoring, research, development, consultations, warning and alarm systems,
mutual assistance and access as well as exchange of information.
There are two protocols to this Convention:
1. Protocol on Water and Health
2. Protocol on Civil Liability
Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution, Bucharest, 1992
 Also referred to as "Bucharest Convention".
 Its Permanent Secretariat is in Istanbul, Turkey.
 It was signed in Bucharest in April 1992, and ratified by all six legislative assemblies of
the Black Sea countries in the beginning of 1994.
Objective:
 To prevent, reduce and control the pollution in the Black Sea in order to protect and
preserve the marine environment and to provide legal framework for co-operation
and concerted actions to fulfil this obligation.
It is the basic framework of agreement and three specific Protocols, which are:
(1) The control of land-based sources of pollution;
(2) Dumping of waste;
(3) Joint action in the case of accidents (such as oil spills).
Members:
 Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine are the countries
that have signed and ratified the convention.
 The implementation of the Convention is managed by the Commission for the
Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution (also sometimes referred to as the
Istanbul Commission).
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Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents

 This is a United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) convention signed
in Helsinki, Finland, on 17 March 1992 that entered into force on 19 April 2000.
Purpose:
 The Convention is designed to protect people and the environment against industrial
accidents.
 The Convention aims to prevent accidents from occurring, or reducing their frequency
and severity and mitigating their effects if required.
 The Convention promotes active international cooperation between countries, before,
during and after an industrial accident.
Members:
 The Convention has 41 parties, including the European Union, Russia, and most other
countries in all parts of Europe, as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
 The treaty has been signed but not ratified by Canada and the United States.
Protocols under the convention:
 The Protocol on Civil Liability for Damage and Compensation for Damage Caused by
Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents on Transboundary Waters, was adopted
in Kiev, Ukraine on 21 May 2003.
 The Protocol is a joint instrument to the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of
Industrial Accidents and to the Convention on the Protection and Use of
Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.
 The Protocol was signed by 24 European states but as of 2013, the Protocol has been
ratified only by Hungary and is not in force.
Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat
(Notably not a Multilateral Environmental Agreement)
Purpose:
 The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl
Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use
of wetlands.
 It is also known as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. It is named after the city
of Ramsar in Iran, where the Convention was signed in 1971.
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Meetings:
 Every three years, representatives of the Contracting Parties meet as the Conference
of the Contracting Parties (COP).
 The most recent COP12 was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 2015. COP13 will take
place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2018.
List of Wetlands:
 The List of Wetlands of International Importance included 2,266 Ramsar Sites in March
2016 covering over 2.1 million square kilometers (810,000 sq mi).
 The country with the highest number of Sites is the United Kingdom with 170, and the
country with the greatest area of listed wetlands is Bolivia, with over 140,000 square
kilometres (54,000 sq mi).
 The Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS) is a searchable database which provides
information on each Ramsar Site.
Other partners:
1. The Ramsar Convention works closely with six other organizations known as
International Organization Partners (IOPs). These are:
 Birdlife International
 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
 International Water Management Institute(IWMI)
 Wetlands International
 WWF International
 Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)
World Wetlands Day:
 The 2nd of February each year is World Wetlands Day, marking the date of the
adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971.
Convention to Ban the Importation into Forum Island Countries of Hazardous and Radioactive
Wastes and to Control the Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes
within the South Pacific Region, Waigani, 1995
 Opened for signature in Waigani, Papua New Guinea in 1995 and entered into force in
2001
Objective:
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1. Reduce or eliminate transboundary movements of hazardous and radioactive wastes

into and within the Pacific Forum region.
2. Minimize the production of hazardous and toxic wastes in the Pacific Forum region
3. Ensure that disposal of wastes is done in an environmentally sound manner and as
close to the source as possible.
4. Assist Pacific island countries that are Parties to the Convention in the
environmentally sound management of hazardous and other wastes they generate.
Partners:
 Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New
Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and
Vanuatu.
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious
Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD)
Aim:
 To combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through national action
programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international
cooperation and partnership arrangements.
When and where?
 The only convention stemming from a direct recommendation of the Rio
Conference's Agenda 21, was adopted in Paris, France on 17 June 1994 and entered
into force in December 1996.
Focus:
 It is the only internationally legally binding framework set up to address the problem
of desertification.
 The Convention is based on the principles of participation, partnership and
decentralization—the backbone of Good Governance and Sustainable Development.
 2006 was declared "International Year of Deserts and Desertification".
 The UN Convention to Combat Desertification has established a Committee on Science
and Technology (CST).
Members:
 The UNCCD has been ratified by 196 states plus the European Union.
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 Currently, all member states of the UN plus the Cook Islands, Niue, and State of
Palestine have ratified the convention.
 On 28 March 2013, Canada became the first country to withdraw from the convention.
Directive on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions
 This is a European Union directive in the field of patent law, made under the internal
market provisions of the Treaty of Rome.
Purpose:
 It was intended to harmonise the laws of Member States regarding
the patentability of biotechnological inventions, including plant varieties (as legally
defined)and human genes.
Members:
 As of 15 January 2007, all of the 27 EU member states had implemented the Directive
 TRIPS applies to the European Community as it is a member of the WTO in its own
right and accordingly must ensure "the conformity of its laws, regulations and
administrative procedures with obligations as provided" by the WTO.
European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland
Waterways (AND), Geneva, 2000
 It entered into force on 29 February 2008.
 Under the joint auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UNECE) and the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR).
Aims at:
(I) ensuring a high level of safety of international carriage of dangerous goods by inland
waterways;
(II) Contributing effectively to the protection of the environment by preventing any pollution
resulting from accidents or incidents during such carriage;
(III) Facilitating transport operations and promoting international trade in dangerous goods
 The regulations contain provisions concerning dangerous substances and articles,
provisions concerning their carriage in packages and in bulk or board inland navigation
vessels or the tank vessels as well as provisions concerning the construction and
operation of such vessels.
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 They also address requirements and procedures for inspections, the issue of certificate
of approval recognition of classification societies, monitoring and training and
examination of exports.
European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road

(ADR), Geneva, 1957
Purpose:
 ADR is a 1957 United Nations treaty that governs transnational transport of hazardous
materials.
 Concluded in Geneva on 30 September 1957 under the aegis of the United Nations
Economic Commission Federation for Europe.
 It entered into force on 29 January 1968.As of 2016, 49 states are party to ADR.
Conditions:
 Annex A regulates the merchandise involved, notably their packaging and labels.
 Annex B regulates the construction, equipment, and use of vehicles for the transport
of hazardous materials.
 ADR pictograms for chemical hazards are based on GHS Transport pictograms
and Non-GHS transport pictograms.
FAO International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides, Rome, 1985
 The International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides was one
of the first voluntary Codes of Conduct in support of increased food security, while at
the same time protecting human health and the environment.
 It was adopted in 1985 by the FAO Conference at its Twenty-third Session.
Objective:
 The Code established voluntary standards of conduct for all public and private entities
engaged in, or associated with, the distribution and use of pesticides, and since its
adoption has served as the globally accepted standard for pesticide management.
Pesticide management:
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 Governments have the overall responsibility to regulate the availability, distribution

and use of pesticides in their countries and should ensure the allocation of adequate
resources for this mandate
Governments of pesticide exporting countries should, to the extent possible:
 Provide technical assistance to other countries, especially those lacking technical
expertise in the assessment of the relevant data on pesticides
 Ensure that good trading practices are followed in the export of pesticides, especially
to those countries with limited or no regulatory schemes.
FAO International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources, Rome, 1983

Popularly known as the International Seed Treaty, is a comprehensive international
agreement in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Aim:
 Guaranteeing food security through the conservation, exchange and sustainable
use of the worlds plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA).
 The fair and equitable benefit sharing arising from its use.
Members:
 The date of entry into force was on 29 June 2004.
 There are 139 contracting parties to the Treaty (138 states and the European Union) as
of July 2016.
 India is also a member of the convention.
Other areas:
1. It also recognizes Farmers' Rights, subject to national laws to:
 The protection of traditional knowledge relevant to plant genetic resources for food
and agriculture;
 The right to equitably participate in sharing benefits arising from the utilisation of
plant genetic resources for food and agriculture;
 The right to participate in making decisions, at the national level, on matters related
to the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and
agriculture.
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2. The Treaty establishes the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing to

facilitate plant germ plasm exchanges and benefit sharing through Standard Material
Transfer Agreement (SMTA).
Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea
 This is a regional convention signed in Tehran (Iran) on 4 November 2003.
 Also called Tehran Convention, entered into force on 12 August 2006.
Objective:
 The protection of the Caspian environment from all sources of pollution including the
protection, preservation, restoration and sustainable and rational use of the biological
resources of the Caspian Sea.
Members:
 Five littoral Caspian states:
 Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation and Turkmenistan.
 Convention also provides for appropriate measures to prevent the introduction into
the Caspian Sea and to control and combat invasive alien species, which threaten
ecosystems, habitats or species.
 Measures to prevent, reduce and control pollution from the land-based sources,
seabed activities, vessels, as well as pollution from other human activities including
land reclamation and associated coastal dredging and construction of dams.
Protocols under the convention:
 Protocol on Land-Based Sources of Pollution
 Protocol Concerning Regional Cooperation in Case of Emergency
 Protocol on EIA in a Transboundary Context
 Protocol on Protection of the Caspian Biodiversity.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
 It is an international environmental treaty adopted on 9 May 1992 and opened for
signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992.
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 It then entered into force on 21 March 1994, after a sufficient number of countries
had ratified it.
Objective:
 To "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would
prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system".
 The framework sets non binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual
countries and contains no enforcement mechanisms.
Parties to the UNFCCC are classified as:
Annex I:
 There are 43 Parties to the UNFCCC listed in Annex I of the Convention, including the
European Union.
 These Parties are classified as industrialized (developed) countries and "economies in
transition" (EITs)
Annex II:
 These Parties are made up of members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD).
 Annex II Parties are required to provide financial and technical support to the EITs
and developing countries to assist them in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions
(climate change mitigation) and manage the impacts of climate change (climate
change adaptation).
Annex B:
 Parties listed in Annex B of the Kyoto Protocol are Annex I Parties with first- or
second-round Kyoto greenhouse gas emissions targets.
Least-developed countries (LDCs):
 47 Parties are LDCs, and are given special status under the treaty in view of their
limited capacity to adapt to the effects of climate change.
Non-Annex I:
 Parties to the UNFCCC not listed in Annex I of the Convention are mostly low-
income developing countries.
 Developing countries may volunteer to become Annex I countries when they are
sufficiently developed.
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Conference of Parties:
 The first conference (COP1) was held in 1995 in Berlin.
 The 3rd conference (COP3) was held in Kyoto and resulted in the Kyoto protocol
 The COP 18, Kyoto Protocol was amended during the 2012 Doha Conference (COP18,
CMP 8).
 The COP21 (CMP11)) conference was held in Paris and resulted in adoption of
the Paris Agreement.
 Negotiations for the Paris Agreement took place during COP22 in Marrakech,
Morocco.
 The twenty-third COP has been held by Fiji and took place in Bonn, Germany.
Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and
of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare
 Usually called the Geneva protocol, it was signed at Geneva on 17 June 1925 and
entered into force on 8 February 1928.
 It was registered in League of Nations Treaty Series on 7 September 1929.
Objectives:
 It is a treaty prohibiting the use of chemical and biological weapons in international
armed conflicts.
 The Geneva Protocol is a protocol to the Convention for the Supervision of the
International Trade in Arms and Ammunition and in Implements of War signed on the
same date, and followed the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907.
 It prohibits the use of "asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and of all analogous
liquids, materials or devices" and "bacteriological methods of warfare".
Members:
 As of November 2015, 140 states have ratified, acceded to, or succeeded to the
Protocol, most recently Colombia on 24 November 2015.
 France was the first signatory to ratify the Protocol on 10 May 1926. El Salvador, the
final signatory to ratify the Protocol, did so on 26 February 2008.
 India is also a member of the protocol.
International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), Rio de Janeiro, 1966
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 The organization was established in 1969, at a conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and
operates in English, French and Spanish.
Objective:
 This is an intergovernmental organization responsible for the management and
conservation of tuna and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas.
Species under management:
 Tuna and tuna-like fishes are highly migratory, and stocks cross
numerous international boundaries.
ICCAT is involved in management of 30 species, including
1. the Atlantic bluefin, yellowfin, albacore and bigeye tuna ;
2. from the bill fishes, swordfish, white marlin , blue marlin , sailfish ;
3. mackerels such as spotted Spanish mackerel and king mackerel ;
4. Small tunas like skipjack tuna.
 The organization has been strongly criticized by scientists for its repeated failure to
conserve the sustainability of the tuna fishery by consistently supporting over-fishing.
 In recent years the organization seems to be turning around. For the most iconic
species within its management, the Eastern Bluefin Tuna, a very strict recovery plan
was adopted.
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the
Protocol of 1978
 MARPOL (marine pollution) is one of the most important international
marine environmental conventions.
 It was developed by the International Maritime Organization in an effort to minimize
pollution of the oceans and seas, including dumping, oil and air pollution.
Objective of this convention:
 To preserve the marine environment in an attempt to completely eliminate pollution
by oil and other harmful substances and to minimize accidental spillage of such
substances.
How it emerged?
 The original MARPOL was signed on 17 February 1973, but did not come into force at
the signing date.
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 The current convention is a combination of 1973 Convention and the 1978 Protocol,
which entered into force on 2 October 1983.
 As of January 2018, 156 states are parties to the convention, being flag states of
99.42% of the world's shipping tonnage.
 All ships flagged under countries that are signatories to MARPOL are subject to its
requirements, regardless of where they sail and member nations are responsible for
vessels registered on their national ship registry.
Various categories based on pollutants:
Annex 1: prevention of pollution by oil & oily water
Annex 2: control of pollution by noxious liquid substances in bulk
Annex 3: prevention of pollution by harmful substances carried by sea in packaged form
Annex 4: pollution by sewage from ships
Annex 5: pollution by garbage from ships
Annex 6: Prevention of air pollution from ships
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil

 OILPOL was an International Treaty signed in London on 12 May 1954 (OILPOL 54).
 It was updated in 1962 (OILPOL 62), 1969 (OILPOL 69), and 1971 (OILPOL 71).
Objective:
 To take action to prevent pollution of the sea by oil discharged from ships.
 OILPOL was subsumed by the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution
from Ships (MARPOL) in 1973.
 Since 1959, OILPOL is administered and promoted by the International Maritime
Organization (IMO).
 The OILPOL Convention recognised that most oil pollution resulted from routine
shipboard operations such as the cleaning of cargo tanks.
 In the 1950s, the normal practice was simply to wash the tanks out with water and
then pump the resulting mixture of oil and water into the sea.
 OILPOL 54 prohibited the dumping of oily wastes within a certain distance from land
and in 'special areas' where the danger to the environment was especially acute.
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Great Barrier Reef incident:

 On 3 March 1970, the Liberian crude oil tanker Oceanic Grandeur struck an uncharted
rock in Torres Strait while en route from Dumai, Indonesia, to Brisbane.
 The incident resulted in a significant spill. Due to concern about the Great Barrier
Reef, amendments in OILPOL 71 were provided to extend the restricted zone to the
Great Barrier Reef.
International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

 It was signed by 15 nations in Washington, D.C. on 2 December 1946 and took effect
on 10 November 1948.
Objective:
 The protection of all whale species from over hunting, the establishment of a system
of international regulation for the whale fisheries to ensure proper conservation and
development of whale stocks, and safeguarding for future generations the great
natural resources represented by whale stocks.
 It governs the commercial, scientific, and aboriginal subsistence whaling practices of
fifty-nine member nations; thus make possible the orderly development of the
whaling industry.
 Its protocol, which extended the definition of a "whale-catcher" to include helicopters
as well as ships, was signed in Washington on 19 November 1956.
International Whaling Commission:
 The primary instrument for the realization of these aims is the International Whaling
Commission which was established pursuant to this convention.
 The commission has made many revisions to the schedule that makes up the bulk of
the convention.
 The Commission process has also reserved for governments the right to carry out
scientific research which involves killing of whales.
Members:
 As of January 2014, membership consists of 89 states of the world.
 The initial signatory states were Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark,
France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, South Africa, the Soviet Union,
the United Kingdom and the United States.
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International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), Geneva, 1994

Purpose:
 To ensure that by the year 2000 exports of tropical timber originated
from sustainably managed sources and to establish a fund to assist tropical timber
producers in obtaining the resources necessary to reach this objective.
Members:
 The agreement was opened for signature on January 26, 1994, and entered into force
on January 1, 1997.
 Sixty-two parties ultimately ratified the agreement
 It defined the mandate of the International Tropical Timber Organization.
 It replaced the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983, and was superseded
by the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 2006.
Kuwait Regional Convention for Co-operation on the Protection of the Marine Environment
from Pollution, Kuwait, 1978
Objective:
1. To prevent, abate and combat pollution of the marine environment.
2. The Convention was entered into force on Jun 30, 1979.
3. Parties agree to take all appropriate measures to prevent, abate and combat pollution
of the marine environment.
4. They undertake to cooperate
 In taking necessary measures to deal with pollution emergencies in scientific and
technical research relating to marine pollution
 In establishing appropriate roles and procedures for the determination of civil liability
and compensation for damage related to the subject-matter of the Convention.
Kyoto Protocol - greenhouse gas emission reductions
 The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which extends the 1992 UNFCCC that
commits State Parties.
Objective:
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that
(a) Global warming is occurring and
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(b) It is extremely likely that human-made CO2 emissions have predominantly caused it.
Members:
 The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on December 11, 1997 and entered
into force on February 16, 2005.
 There are currently 192 parties to the Protocol.
Principle of common but differentiated responsibilities:
 It puts the obligation to reduce current emissions on developed countries on the basis
that they are historically responsible for the current levels of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere.
First commitment period: 2008 -2012
 38 industrialized countries and the European Community (the European Union-15,
made up of 15 states at the time of the Kyoto negotiations) commit themselves to
binding targets for GHG emissions.
 The targets apply to the four greenhouse gases carbon dioxide
(CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and two
groups of gases, hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs).
 The six GHG are translated into CO2 equivalents in determining reductions in
emissions.
 These reduction targets are in addition to the industrial gases, chlorofluorocarbons, or
CFCs, which are dealt with under the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that
Deplete the Ozone Layer.
Second commitment period:
 A second commitment period was agreed on in 2012, known as the Doha
Amendment to the protocol. The second commitment period ends in 2020.
 The 2015 adoption of the Paris Agreement, which is a separate instrument under the
UNFCCC rather than an amendment of the Kyoto protocol.
Flexibility mechanisms:
 The Protocol defines three "flexibility mechanisms" that can be used by Annex I
Parties in meeting their emission limitation commitments.
1. Emissions trading:
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 Emissions trading, or cap and trade, is a government-mandated, market-based

approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving
reductions in the emissions of pollutants.
2. Joint Implementation:
 Any Annex I country can invest in an emission reduction project in any other Annex I
country as an alternative to reducing emissions domestically.
3. Clean Development Mechanism:
 The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) provides for emissions reduction projects
which generate Certified Emission Reduction units (CERs) which may be traded
in emissions trading.
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918

Purpose:
 MBTA is a United States federal law, first enacted in 1916 to implement the
convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great
Britain (acting on behalf of Canada).
 The statute makes it unlawful without a waiver to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, or
sell birds listed therein as migratory birds.
 The statute does not discriminate between live or dead birds and also grants full
protection to any bird parts including feathers, eggs, and nests. Over 800 species are
currently on the list.
 The migratory bird conventions with Canada and Mexico define "game birds" and
hunted species.
Exceptions:
1. the eagle feather law, which regulate the taking, possession, and transportation
of bald eagles, golden eagles, their "parts, nests, and eggs"
 for scientific, educational, and depredation control purposes;
 for the religious purposes of American Indian tribes;
 to protect other interests in a particular locality.
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2. Enrolled members of federally recognized tribes may apply for an eagle permit for use
in "bona fide tribal religious ceremonies.
3. Migratory birds may seek respite within trees or on buildings considered private
property.
Minamata Convention on Mercury, 2013

Aim:
 The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international treaty designed to protect
human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases
of mercury and mercury compounds.
 This Convention was approved by 140 countries including India on 19 January 2013 in
Geneva and adopted and signed later that year on 10 October 2013 at a Diplomatic
Conference held in Kumamoto, Japan.
Reasons for the convention:
 The Convention is named after the Japanese city Minamata. This naming is of symbolic
importance as the city went through a devastating incident of mercury poisoning.
 Over the next few decades, this agreement will enhance the reduction of mercury
pollution from the targeted activities responsible for the major release of mercury to
the immediate environment.
Background on Mercury:
 Mercury is a naturally occurring element. It can be released to the environment from
natural sources – such as weathering of mercury-containing rocks, forest fires,
volcanic eruptions or geothermal activities – but also from human activities.
 An estimated 5500-8900 tons of mercury is currently emitted and re-emitted each
year to the atmosphere, with much of the re-emitted mercury considered to be
related to human activity, as are the direct releases.
 Mercury and mercury compounds have long been known to be toxic to human health
and the environment.
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 Large-scale public health crises due to mercury poisoning, such as Minamata disease
and Niigata Minamata disease, drew attention to the issue.
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
 An international treaty which is a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the
Protection of the Ozone Layer.
Objective:
 To protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that
are responsible for ozone depletion.
Later amendments:
 It was agreed on 16 September 1987, and entered into force on 1 January 1989,
followed by a first meeting in Helsinki, May 1989.
 Since then, it has undergone eight revisions, in 1990 (London), 1991 (Nairobi), 1992
(Copenhagen), 1993 (Bangkok), 1995 (Vienna), 1997 (Montreal), 1998 (Australia), 1999
(Beijing) and 2016 (Kigali, adopted, but not in force).
Members: 197
 All countries in the United Nations, the Cook Islands, Holy See, Niue and
the supranational European Union have ratified the original Montreal
 South Sudan being the last country to ratify the agreement, bringing the total to 197.
Purpose:
 The treaty is structured around several groups of halogenated hydrocarbons that
deplete stratospheric ozone.
 All of the ozone depleting substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol contain
either chlorine or bromine (substances containing only fluorine do not harm the ozone
layer).
 Some ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) are not yet controlled by the Montreal
Protocol, including nitrous oxide (N2O).
Multilateral fund:
 The main objective of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal
Protocol is to assist developing country parties to the Montreal Protocol whose annual
per capita consumption and production of ozone depleting substances (ODS) is less
than 0.3 kg to comply with the control measures of the Protocol.
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 As a result of the international agreement, the ozone hole in Antarctica is slowly

recovering.
 Climate projections indicate that the ozone layer will return to 1980 levels between
2050 and 2070.
North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC)
 This is an environmental agreement between the United States of
America, Canada and Mexico as a side-treaty of the North American Free Trade
Agreement.
 The agreement came into effect January 1, 1994.
Objective:
 Conservation and the protection of the environment as well as concrete measures to
further cooperation on these matters between the three countries.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation:
 Part Three of the NAAEC establishes the Commission for Environmental
Cooperation (CEC), which was set up as part of the agreement.
 The structure of the CEC is composed of the Council, which is the governing body, a
Secretariat based in Montreal and the Joint Public Advisory Committee.
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
 Also known as the Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, or the Madrid Protocol, is part of
the Antarctic Treaty System.
 It provides for comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment and dependent
and associated ecosystems.
 It was concluded in Madrid and opened for signature on October 4, 1991 and entered
into force on January 14, 1998. The treaty will be open for review in 2048.
Key objectives:
 Protection of the Antarctic environment as a wilderness with aesthetic and scientific
value shall be a "fundamental consideration" of activities in the area.
 Any activity relating to mineral resources, other than scientific research, shall be
prohibited.
 Requires environmental assessment for all activities, including tourism.
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 Creates a Committee for Environmental Protection for the continent.

Parties:
 As of May 2013, the protocol has been ratified by 34 parties including India. A further
11 states have signed but not yet ratified it.
 The treaty followed a lengthy campaign by Greenpeace, including the construction of
an Antarctic base from 1987 to 1991.Greenpeace claims the protocol as a victory.
 Madrid Dome in Aristotle Mountains, Antarctica is named in connection with the
Protocol.
Putrajaya Declaration of Regional Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the

Seas of East Asia, Malaysia, 2003
 The SDS-SEA provides a regional implementing framework and strategies for achieving
the goals of key international agreements and action plans including the UN
Millennium Development Goals, the World Summit on Sustainable Development Plan
of Implementation, Agenda 21 and other international instruments related to coasts,
islands and oceans.
Objective:
 A shared vision among stakeholders towards achieving the sustainable use of coastal
and marine natural resources, protection of the ecosystems, protection of life and
property of the coastal population and sustaining the benefits provided by marine
ecosystems.
 Action programs are developed under six major strategies:
 Sustain, Preserve, Protect, Develop, Implement and Communicate.
 On 12 December 2003, at the Ministerial Forum during the East Asian Seas Congress
2003, adopted the Putrajaya Declaration of Regional Cooperation for the Sustainable
Development of the Seas of East Asia.
 By adopting the SDS-SEA, the Putrajaya Declaration conveys a regional policy
commitment to sustainable development of the seas of East Asia and to forge
stakeholder partnership arrangements in addressing areas of concern.
 This document was initiated and prepared by PEMSEA in consultation with 12
participating governments and other stakeholders of the Seas of East Asia.
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Regional Convention for the Conservation of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden Environment,
Jeddah, 1982
Objectives:
 To conserve the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden environment.
Subject:
 Sea, Water, Waste & hazardous substances, Air & atmosphere
 The Convention came into force on August 20 1985.
Parties to focus on:
 To take all appropriate measures to conserve the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden
environment, including prevent, abate and combat marine pollution from all sources.
 To co-operate in the adoption of protocols for the implementation of this Convention,
and with competent international and regional organizations with a view to adopting
regional standards for the conservation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden environment.
Specific provisions of the Convention:
 To deal with pollution from different sources, including from exploration and
exploitation of the bed of the territorial sea, continental shelf and subsoil thereof and
with co-operation in case of pollution emergencies.
Institutional mechanisms:
 A Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden
Environment is established, with a Council, a General Secretariat and a Committee for
the Settlement of Disputes.
Rotterdam Convention (formally, the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent
Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade)
 This is a multilateral treaty to promote shared responsibilities in relation to
importation of hazardous chemicals.
 Objective:
 The convention promotes open exchange of information and calls on exporters of
hazardous chemicals to use proper labeling, include directions on safe handling, and
inform purchasers of any known restrictions or bans.
State parties:
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 As of November 2016, the convention has 156 parties, which includes 154 UN member
states, the Cook Islands, and the European Union.
 Non-member states include the United States, Turkey, Iraq, and Angola.
 The treaty was signed on 10 September 1998 and made effective from 24 February
2004.
 The seventh meeting of the Rotterdam Conference was held from 4 May to 15 May
2015 in Geneva, Switzerland.
It consider the listing of the following chemicals in Annex III to the Convention:
 Chrysotile asbestos
 Fenthion
 Liquid formulations
 Trichlorfon
 Signatory nations can decide whether to allow or ban the importation of chemicals
listed in the treaty, and exporting countries are obliged to make sure that producers
within their jurisdiction comply.
Stockholm Convention Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants Stockholm,
2001
 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an
international environmental treaty, signed in 2001 and effective from May 2004.
Aim:
 To eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
Members:
As of April 2017, there are 181 parties to the Convention, (180 states and the European
Union). Notable non-ratifying states include the United States, Israel, Malaysia, and Italy.
History of the Convention:
 In 1995, the Governing Council of the UNEP called for global action to be taken on
POPs, which it defined as "chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-
accumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human
health and the environment".
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 The Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) and the International

Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) prepared an assessment of the 12 worst
offenders, known as the dirty dozen.
There were initially twelve distinct chemicals listed in three categories.
 Annex A: Elimination
 Annex B: Restriction
 Annex C: Unintentional production
 Co-signatories agree to outlaw nine of the dirty dozen chemicals, limit the use of DDT
to malaria control, and curtail inadvertent production of dioxins and furans.
 Annex D of the Convention, relating to its persistence, bioaccumulation, potential for
long-range environmental transport (LRET), and toxicity.
3. Partial Test Ban Treaty(PTBT)
 The abbreviated name of the 1963 Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the
Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water.
 It is also abbreviated as the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT) and Nuclear Test Ban
Treaty (NTBT), though the latter may also refer to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-
Ban Treaty (CTBT), which succeeded the PTBT for ratifying parties.
Purpose:
 It prohibited all detonations of nuclear weapons except for those
conducted underground.
 The treaty declares as its "principal aim the speediest possible achievement of an
agreement on general and complete disarmament under strict international control,".
 Explicitly states the goal of achieving a comprehensive test ban (i.e., one which bans
underground tests).
Parties:
 The PTBT was signed by the governments of the Soviet Union, United Kingdom,
and United States in Moscow on 5 August 1963 before being opened for signature by
other countries.
 The treaty formally went into effect on 10 October 1963. Since then, 123 other states
have become party to the treaty. Ten states have signed but not ratified the treaty.
About the treaty:
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 Initially focused on a comprehensive ban, but this was abandoned due to technical
questions surrounding the detection of underground tests.
 Rising public anxiety over the magnitude of nuclear tests, particularly tests of
new thermonuclear weapons (hydrogen bombs), and the resulting nuclear fallout.
 A test ban was also seen as a means of slowing nuclear proliferation and the nuclear
arms race.
 Though the PTBT did not halt proliferation or the arms race, its enactment did coincide
with a substantial decline in the concentration of radioactive particles in the
atmosphere.
 The PTBT was a first of a series of nuclear arms control treaties in the second half of
20th century.
 The PTBT has been considered the stepping stone to the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) of 1968.
 The 1979 Vela Incident in the southern Atlantic Ocean may have been an atmospheric
nuclear test in contravention of the PTBT by Israel and South Africa, both of which
were parties to the treaty.
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

 Also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the
international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on
the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which took place between 1973 and 1982.
Purpose:
 The Law of the Sea Convention defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with
respect to their use of the world's oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the
environment, and the management of marine natural resources.
Members:
 The Convention, concluded in 1982, replaced four 1958 treaties.
 UNCLOS came into force in 1994, a year after Guyana became the 60th nation to ratify
the treaty.
 As of June 2016, 167 countries and the European Union have joined in the Convention.
Role of UN:
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 The UN provides support for meetings of states party to the Convention, the UN has
no direct operational role in the implementation of the Convention.
 There is, however, a role played by organizations such as the International Maritime
Organization, the International Whaling Commission, and the International Seabed
Authority (ISA). (The ISA was established by the UN Convention.)
UNCLOS I:
In 1956, the United Nations held its first Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS I) at
Geneva, Switzerland.
UNCLOS I resulted in four treaties concluded in 1958:
 Convention on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone, entry into force: 10
September 1964
 Convention on the Continental Shelf, entry into force: 10 June 1964
 Convention on the High Seas, entry into force: 30 September 1962
 Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas, entry
into force: 20 March 1966
Although UNCLOS I was considered a success, it left open the important issue of breadth of
territorial waters.
UNCLOS II:
 In 1960, the United Nations held the second Conference on the Law of the Sea
("UNCLOS II"); however, the six-week Geneva conference did not result in any new
agreements.
 Generally speaking, developing nations and third world countries participated only as
clients, allies, or dependents of the United States or the Soviet Union, with no
significant voice of their own.
UNCLOS III:
 In 1973 the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Seawas convened in
New York.
 The most significant issues covered were setting limits, navigation, archipelagic status
and transit regimes, exclusive economic zones (EEZs), continental shelf jurisdiction,
deep seabed mining, the exploitation regime, protection of the marine environment,
scientific research, and settlement of disputes.
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 The convention set the limit of various areas, measured from a carefully
defined baseline.
Internal waters
 Covers all water and waterways on the landward side of the baseline.
Territorial waters
 Out to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres; 14 miles) from the baseline, the coastal state
is free to set laws, regulate use, and use any resource.
Archipelagic Waters
 A baseline is drawn between the outermost points of the outermost islands, subject to
these points being sufficiently close to one another. All waters inside this baseline are
designated Archipelagic Waters.
Contiguous Zone
 Beyond the 12-nautical-mile (22 km) limit, there is a further 12 nautical miles (22 km)
from the territorial sea baseline limit, is the contiguous zone.
 A state can continue to enforce laws in four specific areas: customs, taxation,
immigration and pollution.
Exclusive economic zones (EEZs)
 These extend 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres; 230 miles) from the baseline. Within
this area, the coastal nation has sole exploitation rights over all natural resources.
Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
 A Multilateral Environmental Agreement which was agreed upon at the Vienna
Conference of 1985 and entered into force in 1988.
Members:
 In terms of universality, it is one of the most successful treaties of all time, having
been ratified by 197 states (all United Nations members as well as the Holy
See, Niue and the Cook Islands) as well as the European Union.
Purpose:
 It acts as a framework for the international efforts to protect the ozone layer.
 However, it does not include legally binding reduction goals for the use of CFCs, the
main chemical agents causing ozone depletion.
 These are laid out in the accompanying Montreal Protocol.
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The Vienna Convention has two trust funds:

1. Trust Fund for the Vienna Convention:
 Provides financial support to the Convention, including the operations of the Ozone
Secretariat (jointly with the Trust Fund for the Montreal Protocol), and the
organizational costs of the meetings of the Conference of the Parties along with
provision of support to developing countries and countries with economies in
transition to participate in the meetings.
2. Trust Fund for Research and Systematic Observation:
 Funds certain research and observation activities related to the Vienna Convention in
developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage
 This is a 1963 treaty that governs issues of liability in cases of nuclear accident.
Objective:
 To establish minimum standards to provide financial protection against damage
resulting from peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
 It was concluded at Vienna on 21 May 1963 and entered into force on 12 November
1977.
 The depository is the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Members:
 As of February 2014, the convention has been ratified by 40 states.
 Colombia, Israel, Morocco, Spain, and the United Kingdom have signed the convention
but have not ratified it. Slovenia has denounced the treaty and withdrawn from it.
 The convention has been amended by a 1997 protocol.
The Protocol to Amend the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage
 This was adopted by a Diplomatic Conference, 8-12 September 1997, and was opened
for signature at Vienna on 29 September 1997.
 Objective:
 To provide for broader scope, increased amount of liability of the operator of a
nuclear installation and enhanced means for securing adequate and equitable
compensation.
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 The Convention is to apply to nuclear damage wherever suffered though not to

nuclear installations used for non-peaceful purposes.
Western Climate Initiative
 WCI was started in February 2007 by the governors of five western U.S. states
(Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington).
Goal:
 Developing a multi-sector, market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.
 The WCI has no regulatory authority of its own.
Targets:
 The WCI partners also committed to set an overall regional goal to reduce emissions
(set in August 2007 as 15 percent below 2005 emission levels by 2020), participate in a
cross-border greenhouse gas registry to consistently measure and track emissions, and
adopt clean tailpipe standards for passenger vehicles.
 Key administrative aspects of the regional cap-and-trade program are being
implemented in 2012.
 Power plants, refineries, and other large emitters must comply with the cap in 2013.
 Other greenhouse gas emission sources, such as suppliers of transportation fuels,
must comply with the cap beginning in 2015.
 Several WCI partners also remain active in the International Carbon Action
Partnership, an international coordinating body for several such regional carbon
trading bodies.
Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration) Convention, 1977
 It is an International Labour Organization Convention.
 It was established in 1977. As of 2013, the convention had been ratified by 45 states.
Purpose of this Convention:
(a) The term air pollution covers all air contaminated by substances, whatever their physical
state, which are harmful to health or otherwise dangerous;
(b) The term noise covers all sound which can result in hearing impairment or be harmful to
health or otherwise dangerous;
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(c) The term vibration covers any vibration which is transmitted to the human body through
solid structures and is harmful to health or otherwise dangerous.
As far as possible, the working environment shall be kept free from any hazard due to air
pollution, noise or vibration--
(a) By technical measures applied to new plant or processes in design or installation, or added
to existing plant or processes; or, where this is not possible,
(b) By supplementary organizational measures
UNEP Regional Seas Programme
 The Regional Seas Programme, launched in 1974 in the wake of the 1972 United
Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, is one of UNEP’s
most significant achievements in the past 35 years.
Objective:
 The Regional Seas Programme aims to address the accelerating degradation of the
world’s oceans and coastal areas through the sustainable management and use of the
marine and coastal environment, by engaging neighbouring countries in
comprehensive and specific actions to protect their shared marine environment.
 Regional Seas programme prescribes for sound environmental management to be
coordinated and implemented by countries sharing a common body of water.
Regions covered:
 Today, more than 143 countries participate in 13 Regional Seas programmes
established under the auspices of UNEP:
 Black Sea, Wider Caribbean, East Asian Seas, Eastern Africa, South Asian Seas, ROPME
Sea Area, Mediterranean, North-East Pacific, Northwest Pacific, Red Sea and Gulf of
Aden, South-East Pacific, Pacific, and Western Africa.
Administrative mechanism:
 Six of these programmes, are directly administered by UNEP.
 The work of Regional Seas programmes is coordinated by UNEP’s Regional Seas
Branch based at the Nairobi Headquarters.
 Regional Coordination Units (RCUs), often aided by Regional Activity Centres (RACs)
oversee the implementation of the programmes and aspects of the regional action
plans such as marine emergencies, information management and pollution
monitoring.
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Partners:
 UN-Ocean agencies, participating Governments, IUCN, regional organisations such as
Western Indian Ocean Marine Scientist Association, etc.)
 UNEP function as coordinator of all regional seas programmes including those
involving SIDS UNEP administers all the regional seas programmes involving SIDS,
except SPREP and the one for South Asian Seas (hosted by SACEP)
SDGs and targets covered:
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources
Conventions within the UNEP Regional Seas Programme:
Nairobi Convention:
 A UNEP Regional Seas Convention for the Eastern African region.
 It was adopted in 1985 and entered into force in 1996.
Aim:
 It provides a mechanism for regional cooperation, coordination and collaborative
actions in the Eastern and Southern African region.
 It enables the Contracting Parties to harness resources and expertise from a wide
range of stakeholders and interest groups towards solving interlinked problems of the
coastal and marine environment including critical national and transboundary issues.
Participating countries:
Comoros, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania,
Republic of South Africa
Barcelona Convention
 A UNEP Regional Seas Convention for the Mediterranean.
 It was signed in 1976, entered into force in 1978 and was amended in 1995.
Purpose:
 It aims to protect and improve the marine and coastal environment in the
Mediterranean, whilst promoting regional and national plans contributing to
sustainable development.
Member states:
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 Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, European

Community, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Morocco,
Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey.
Abidjan Convention:
 A UNEP Regional Seas Convention for the Western and Central African region.
Objective:
 It is a comprehensive umbrella agreement for the protection and management of the
marine and coastal areas.
It lists the sources of pollution that require control:
 Ships, dumping, land-based activities, exploration and exploitation of the seabed, and
pollution from or through the atmosphere.
It also identifies environmental management issues for which cooperative efforts are to be
made:
 Coastal erosion, specially protected areas, combating pollution in cases of emergency;
and environmental impact assessment.
Member countries:
 Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Coted
Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria,
SaoTome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, South Africa.
Cartagena Convention
 A UNEP Regional Seas Convention for the Wider Caribbean.
Purpose:
 It is a comprehensive, umbrella agreement for the protection and development of the
marine environment.
 This regional environmental convention provides the legal framework for cooperative
regional and national actions in the Wider Caribbean region.
Members:
 Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba,
Dominica, Dominican Republic, French Caribbean Territories, Grenada, Guatemala,
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Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, the Netherlands Caribbean Territories,

Nicaragua, Panama, Skits & Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent &the Grenadines, Suriname,
Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom Caribbean Territories, United States of America,
Venezuela.
North-West Pacific Convention
 This is an UNEP Administered Regional Seas Convention for the North-West Pacific
region.
 Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) 1994 has been formed under the convention
as the governing instrument.
 The convention established the NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit.
Members:
 China, Republic of Korea, Japan, Russian Federation
East Asian Sea Convention
 This is UNEP Administered Regional Seas Convention for the East Asian Sea.
 Action Plan for the Protection and Development of the Marine and Coastal Areas of
the East Asian Region 1981/1994 has been initiated.
 Regional Coordinating Unit for East Asian Seas (EAS/RCU) has been set up under the
convention.
Parties:
 Australia, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea,
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
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2018

www.iasinsights.in; www.iasgyaan.com publishes about List of International Environment

List of International Environment Conventions

1. Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Water birds

57. European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by

4. Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate

6. Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes

7. Biological Weapons Convention

 To further international collaboration within the framework of the Antarctic Treaty to

 It provides for comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment and dependent

2. It is often seen as the key document regarding sustainable development.

 The full title is Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain

 To propose, on the basis of these consultations and of proposals by Governments,

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

Convention on Long-Range Trans boundary Air Pollution

1985 Helsinki Protocol on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions

Volatile Organic Compounds Protocol

 It is a protocol to the Convention on Long-Range Trans boundary Air Pollution.

Multi-effect Proto color the Gothenburg Protocol

Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental

Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents

1. Reduce or eliminate transboundary movements of hazardous and radioactive wastes

European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road

 Governments have the overall responsibility to regulate the availability, distribution

FAO International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources, Rome, 1983

2. The Treaty establishes the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing to

International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil

Great Barrier Reef incident:

International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), Geneva, 1994

 Emissions trading, or cap and trade, is a government-mandated, market-based

Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918

Minamata Convention on Mercury, 2013

 As a result of the international agreement, the ozone hole in Antarctica is slowly

 Creates a Committee for Environmental Protection for the continent.

Putrajaya Declaration of Regional Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the

 The Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) and the International

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

The Vienna Convention has two trust funds:

 The Convention is to apply to nuclear damage wherever suffered though not to

 Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, European

Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, the Netherlands Caribbean Territories,

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