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 LIST OF ENVIRONMENTAL
CONVENTIONS

Name Year of
Establishment
Ramsar Convention 1971
Stockholm Convention 2001
CITES 1973
Convention on Biological 1992
Diversity
Bonn Convention 1979
Vienna Convention 1985
Montreal Protocol 1987
Kyoto Protocol 1997
United Nations 1992
Framework Convention
on Climate Change
(UNFCCC)
Rio Summit 1992
UNCCD 1994
Basel Convention 1989
Cartagena Protocol on 2000
Biosafety
UN-REDD 2008
Nagoya Protocol 2010
COP24 2018
COP21 2016
Kigali Amendment 2016
Minamata Convention 2013
Rotterdam Convention 1998
COP25 2019
 1. RAMSAR CONVENTION
 It is called the Convention on Wetlands
 It was adopted in the city of Iran, Ramsar in
1971.
 It came into force in 1975.
IN BRIEF
 Ramsar Convention is a convention on
wetlands that was signed in 1971 in the
Iranian city of Ramsar.
 The negotiations for the convention started
in the 1960s by the different countries and
NGOs for the protection of wetland habitats
of migratory waterbirds. Finally, it came
into force in 1975. India.
 There are 42 Ramsar Sites in India listed
under Ramsar Convention.
 2. STOCKHOLM CONVENTION
 It is a convention on Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPs)
 It was adopted in 2001 in Geneva,
Switzerland.
 It came into force in 2004.
IN BRIEF
 Conference of Parties (COP) 10 to Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
(Adopted in 2001 by Conference of
Plenipotentiaries) will take place in July 2021
in Geneva, Switzerland.
 In July 2020, new restrictions on
Perfluorooctanoic acids (PFOAs) came into
effect, bringing into the news, Stockholm
Convention.
 It is one of the important environment
conventions.
 3. CITES
 It is a convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora
 It was adopted in 1963.
 It came into force in 1975.
IN BRIEF
 The full form of CITES is Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora.
 CITES is an international agreement between
governments with an objective of the
preservation of the planet’s plants and
animals by ensuring that the international
trade in their specimens does not threaten
their survival.
 It was adopted in 1963 and entered into force
in 1975.
 4. CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY (CBD)
 It is a convention for the conservation of
biological diversity.
 It was adopted in 1992
 It came into force in 1993.
IN BRIEF
 The United Nations Convention on Biological
Diversity (UNCBD) is a United Nations treaty
that is responsible for the conservation of
Biological Diversity around the world.
 The UNCBD is one of the important parts
of international environment conventions and
protocols particularly covering the
environment, ecology and biodiversity
 5. BONN CONVENTION
 It is a Convention on the Conservation of
Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
 It was adopted in 1979.
 It came into force in 1983.
IN BRIEF
 Bonn Convention is a name of the
international treaty on the conservation of
migratory species of wild animals, that was
adopted in Bonn, Germany in 1979.
 It came into force in 1983. The convention is
simply known as Bonn Convention or CMS
(Convention on Conservation of Migratory
Species) which is an important part of
international environment conventions and
protocols. India hosted the CMS COP 13 at
Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
 6. VIENNA CONVENTION
 It is a convention for the Protection of
Ozone Layer.
 It was adopted in 1985.
 It came into force in 1988.
IN BRIEF
 The Vienna Convention came into force in
1988 and was universally ratified by 2009.
 It is called the Convention for the protection
of the Ozone layer.
 on 16th September, International Day for the
Preservation of the Ozone Layer was
celebrated along with the convention’s 35th
anniversary.
 7. MONTREAL PROTOCOL
 It is an international environment protocol
on substances that deplete the Ozone Layer.
 It was adopted in 1987.
 It came into force in 1989.
IN BRIEF
 The Montreal Protocol on Substances that
Deplete the Ozone Layer is an important
Multilateral Agreement regulating the
production, consumption, and emissions of
ozone-depleting substances (ODSs).
 This article gives background to the Montreal
Protocol, shares some details on the Ozone
layer, important points on the Montreal
Protocol, successes associated with the
Montreal Protocol, and association of India
with the Montreal Protocol.
 8. KYOTO PROTOCOL
 It is an international protocol to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
 It was adopted in 1997.
 It came into force in 2005.
IN BRIEF
 It is an international treaty to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. Kyoto Protocol
applies to 6 greenhouse gases; carbon dioxide,
methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons,
perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride.
 It is an extension to the 1992 UNFCCC
 9. UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK
CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
 It is an international environmental treaty
governing actions to combat climate change
through adaptation and mitigation efforts
directed at control of emission of Green
House Gases (GHGs) that cause global
warming.
 It was adopted in 1992.
 It came into force in 1994.
IN BRIEF
 UNFCCC is an acronym for the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change.
 It came into force on 21st March 1994.
 It has been ratified by 197 countries and is
called to have a near-universal membership.
 The countries that have ratified the convention
are called the UNFCCC conference of parties
(COP).
 10. RIO SUMMIT
 It is a United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development.
 It was held in 1992 at Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil.
IN BRIEF
 The United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development (UNCED),
also known as the Rio de Janeiro Earth
Summit, Rio Summit, Rio Conference,
and Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92), was
a major United Nations conference held in Rio
de Janeiro (Brazil) from 3 to 14 June 1992.
172 governments participated, with 116
sending their heads of state or government.
 11. UNCCD
 It is a United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification.
 It was adopted in 1994.
 It came into force in 1996.
IN BRIEF
 UNCCD stands for United Nations
Convention to Combet Desertification.
 Established in 1994, UNCCC is a sole legally
binding environment convention that links
development and environment to sustainable
land management.
 The UN Convention to Combat
Desertification aims to combat desertification
and the ill-effects of drought.
 12. BASEL CONVENTION
 It is a convention on the Control of
Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and their Disposal.
 It was adopted in 1989.
 It came into force in 1992.
IN BRIEF
 Basel Convention on the Control of
Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and their Disposal is a comprehensive
treaty that was adopted in 1989 by the
Conference of Plenipotentiaries.
 It aims to protect the human environment
from the adverse effects of hazardous waste
that is generated, managed and disposed of in
the world community.
 India’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food
and Public Distribution has announced a
blanket ban on all types of single-use plastic
 products in all its PSUs including Food
Corporation in India in September 2019.
 It is one of the important
international environment conventions.
 13. CARTAGENA PROTOCOL
 It is an international environmental protocol
on Biosafety to the Convention on
Biological Diversity.
 It was adopted in 2000.
 It came into force in 2003.
IN BRIEF
 he Cartagena Protocol is a supplementary
agreement to the United Nations Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD).
 It is one of the important
international environmental protocols on
biodiversity.
 14. UN-REDD
 It is a United Nations Programme on
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation
and Forest Degradation.
 It was created in 2008.
IN BRIEF
 The United Nations Programme on Reducing
Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation (UN-REDD) is a collaborative
program of Food and Agricultural
Organization (FAO), United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) & United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
 This article helps one understand Carbon
stocks, causes of forest degradation, and major
carbon sinks.
 15. NAGOYA PROTOCOL
 It is an international environment protocol
on Access to Genetic Resources and the
Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits
Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
 It was adopted in 2010.
 It came into force in 2014.
 16. COP24
 It is the 24th meeting of the conference of
parties (COP) to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate
Change.
 It took place in 2018.
 It took place in Katowice, Poland in 2018.
 17. COP21
 It is the 21st meeting of the conference of
parties (COP) to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate
Change.
 It took place in 2018.
IN BRIEF
 Paris Agreement was signed in 2016 by
UNFCCC 195 signatories.
 The agreement intends to reduce and mitigate
greenhouse gas emissions.
 Before COP 21 in Paris, countries were asked
to submit Nationally Determined
Contributions (NDC’s).
 There was a marked shift in the commitments
from various countries. India was clubbed in
the group of emerging economies and India
lived up to it’s billing as a responsible nation
in tackling climate change. In 2017, the US
 President announced his intention to withdraw
from the agreement.
 The effective date of withdrawal of the US is
November 2020.
 18. KIGALI AGREEMENT
 It is an amendment to the Montreal
Protocol.
 It was adopted in 2016.
 It came into force in 2019.
IN BRIEF
 The Kigali Agreement is an amendment to
the Montreal Protocol, which is an
environmental treaty signed by countries to
phase out Ozone Depleting Substances
(ODSs) from the earth’s atmosphere.
 19. MINAMATA CONVENTION
 It is an international environmental treaty
intended to protect health and the
environment from the adverse effects of
mercury.
 It was adopted in 2013.
 It came into force in 2017.
 20. ROTTERDAM CONVENTION
 It is an international environmental
convention on Prior Informed Consent
(PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous
Chemicals and Pesticides in International
Trade.
 It was adopted in 1998.
 It came into force in 2004.
IN BRIEF
 Rotterdam Convention is a name for the
Convention that was adopted by the
Conference of Plenipotentiaries (COP) in
1998 in Rotterdam (Netherlands) that aims to
promote shared responsibilities in relation to
the international trade of hazardous
chemicals.
 The secretariat of the convention is in
Geneva, Switzerland.
 21. COP25
 It is the 25th meeting of the conference of
parties (COP) to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC).
IN BRIEF
 COP25 is the 25th meeting of the conference
of parties (COP) to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC).
 It took place in Madrid (Spain) in December
2019.
 It is referred to as COP 2019 and is the
longest COP to UNFCCC.