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Major Agreements

Overriding issues on Sustainable Development / Agreements leading to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development

United Nations Treaty Collections

Treaties and international agreements entered into by any Member of the United Nations

 


   

 

 

 

Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, a Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 03 to 14 June 1992.  Its 27 principles define the rights and responsibilities of nations as they pursue human development and well-being.
One of the key agreements adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro was the Convention on Biological Diversity, a comprehensive strategy for "sustainable development".  This pact among the vast majority of the world's governments sets out commitments for maintaining the world's ecological underpinnings as it go about the business of economic development.
The Convention on Climate Change was adopted on 9 May 1992 in New York, and opened for signature a month later at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It entered into force on 21 March 1994, after receiving the requisite 50 ratification.  Since then, Parties have continued to negotiate in order to agree on decisions and conclusions that will advance its implementation.  The negotiations have resulted in the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol at Kyoto, Japan in December 1997.
The Convention on Wetlands, otherwise known as the "Ramsar Convention", was signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971. It is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Philippines is one of the Contracting Parties to the Convention, and has a number of wetland sites included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
Convention on Migratory Species,  also known as the "Bonn Convention" because it was signed in Bonn, Germany on 23 June 1979.  CMS is the only global (and UN-based) intergovernmental organization which is established exclusively for the conservation and management of migratory species.  The obligations of CMS are more direct than some other multilateral instruments that conservationists often look to as vehicles to protect wildlife.
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.  The Philippines is a Party to CITES since August 1981.
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) offers new hope in the struggle against desertification, and promotes a fresh new approach to managing dryland ecosystems and -- just as important -- to managing development aid flows, entered into force on 26 December 1996.
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was agreed upon, after a series of rigorous meetings and negotiations, on 16 September 1987 at the Headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal, Canada.  The Protocol came into force on 01 January 1989  when 29 countries and the EEC representing approximately 82 percent of world consumption had ratified it.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women on 18 December 1979 in New York is the most comprehensive treaty on women’s human rights, establishing legally binding obligations to end discrimination.
The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade was adopted at a Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Rotterdam on 10 September 1998. The Convention was open for signature at the signing ceremony in Rotterdam on 11 September 1998 and at UN Headquarters in New York from 12 September 1998 to 10 September 1999.  When the signature period closed, the Convention had been signed by 72 States and one regional economic integration organization. It will enter into force once 50 instruments of ratification are deposited.
The Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal was adopted in 1989 and entered into force on 05 May 1992.  Its central goal is “environmentally sound management”, the aim of which is to protect human health and the environment by minimizing hazardous waste production whenever possible. It means addressing the issue through an “integrated life-cycle approach”, which involves strong controls from the generation of a hazardous waste to its storage, transport, treatment, reuse, recycling, recovery and final disposal.
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on  Biological Diversity in 29 January 2000 in Montreal, Canada is a supplementary agreement to the Convention. The Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on 10 December 1982 in Montego Bay lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world's oceans and seas establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources. It enshrines the notion that all problems of ocean space are closely interrelated and need to be addressed as a whole.  Entered into force on 16 November 1994, it is globally recognized regime dealing with all matters relating to the law of the sea.

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   Earth Summit 2002
Building Partnership for Sustainable Development. . .  This site gives you an overview of what Earth Summit 2002 is, where it came from and what it will try to do, taking a historical look at the Sustainable Development Agenda.
   International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides in 1985 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, and the London Guidelines for the Exchange of Information on Chemicals in International Trade in 1987 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).  Developed to address the increasing concerns about the risk of using hazardous chemicals. The procedure known as Prior Informed Consent (PIC) was added in 1989 to help control imports of unwanted chemicals that have been banned or severely restricted.
   United Nations
Engaged in service to all the world's nations and peoples.  It is a world organization of states, working for peace and development, for promoting democracy and fighting terrorism.  Also found in this site is the core list of treaties with the summaries and full text.
   United Nations Development Programme
The UNDP is the United Nation's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.
   United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Its mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
   World Summit on Sustainable Development
The official United Nations website for the Johannesburg Summit 2002
   World Trade Organization (WTO)
A global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. Established in January 1995, the goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business.

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