Estados Unidos

The Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) is the first binding international agreement to specifically target IUU fishing. Its main objective is to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing by preventing vessels engaged in IUU fishing from using ports and landing their catches. In this way, the agreement reduces the incentive of such vessels to continue to operate while it also blocks fishery products derived from IUU fishing from reaching national and international markets. The effective implementation of the Agreement ultimately contributes to the long-term conservation and sustainable use

To address certain difficulties with the seabed mining provisions contained in Part XI of the Convention, which had been raised, primarily by the industrialized countries, the Secretary-General convened in July 1990 a series of informal consultations which culminated in the adoption, on 28 July 1994, of the Agreement relating to the implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982. The Agreement entered into force on 28 July 1996. The Agreement was adopted on 28 July 1994 and entered into force on 28 July 1996. It consists of 10 articles

The Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) was adopted on 19 June 2023 by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction convened under the auspices of the United Nations. The BBNJ Agreement becomes the third implementing agreement to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Under the overall objective of the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas

In 2012, the Parties adopted decision 2012/5, amending the Protocol to strengthen controls on heavy metal emissions and introduce flexibilities for new Parties, particularly from Eastern Europe, South-Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Additionally, decision 2012/6 updated BAT guidance, as outlined in Annex III. These amendments entered into force on 8 February 2022.

El Convenio de Basilea sobre el control de los movimientos transfronterizos de desechos peligrosos y su eliminación fue adoptado en 1989 y entró en vigor en 1992. Es el acuerdo ambiental mundial más exhaustivo en materia de desechos peligrosos y otros desechos. El objetivo del Convenio es proteger la salud de las personas y el medio ambiente frente a los efectos nocivos resultantes de la generación, los movimientos transfronterizos y la gestión de desechos peligrosos y otros desechos.

The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources came into force in 1982 and forms an important part of the Antarctic Treaty system. Its work also complements the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels – ACAP. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) was established under the Convention and it manages living marine resources in the convention area.

The Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment in the Wider Caribbean Region 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 WCR

El Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica quedó abierto a la firma en la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Medio Ambiente y el Desarrollo ("Cumbre de la Tierra" de Río de Janeiro), desde el 5 de junio de 1992 hasta el 4 de junio de 1993, período en el cual firmaron 168 países. El Convenio entró en vigor el 29 de diciembre de 1993, es decir 90 días después de su ratificación por 30 países. La primera reunión de la Conferencia de las Partes fue convocada del 28 de noviembre al 9 de diciembre de 1994 en Bahamas. La voluntad creciente de la comunidad internacional en pos del desarrollo

La CITES (Convención sobre el Comercio Internacional de Especies Amenazadas de Fauna y Flora Silvestres) es un acuerdo internacional concertado entre los gobiernos . Tiene por finalidad velar por que el comercio internacional de especímenes de animales y plantas silvestres no constituye una amenaza para su supervivencia.

Since 1979 the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution has addressed some of the major environmental problems of the UNECE region through scientific collaboration and policy negotiation. The Convention has been extended by eight protocols that identify specific measures to be taken by Parties to cut their emissions of air pollutants. The Convention, which now has 51 Parties identifies the Executive Secretary of UNECE as its secretariat. The aim of the Convention is that Parties shall endeavour to limit and, as far as possible, gradually reduce and prevent air pollution including

The Convention aims at protecting human beings and the environment against industrial accidents by preventing such accidents as far as possible, by reducing their frequency and severity and by mitigating their effects. It promotes active international cooperation between the contracting Parties, before, during and after an industrial accident.

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”. Under the “three pillars” of the Convention, the Contracting Parties commit to work towards the wise use of all

The Protocol to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Financing of the Co-operative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe (EMEP) was entered into force in 1988. Forty-six ECE countries are currently Parties to this Protocol. It is an instrument for international cost-sharing of a monitoring programme which forms the backbone for review and assessment of relevant air pollution in Europe in the light of agreements on emission reduction. EMEP has three main components: collection of emission data for SO2, NOx

The Espoo (EIA) Convention sets out the obligations of Parties to assess the environmental impact of certain activities at an early stage of planning. It also lays down the general obligation of States to notify and consult each other on all major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across boundaries. The Convention was adopted in 1991 and entered into force on 10 September 1997

The Protocol sets emission ceilings for 2010 for four pollutants: sulphur, NOx, VOCs and ammonia. These ceilings were negotiated on the basis of scientific assessments of pollution effects and abatement options. Parties whose emissions have a more severe environmental or health impact and whose emissions are relatively cheap to reduce will have to make the biggest cuts. Once the Protocol is fully implemented, Europe’s sulphur emissions should be cut by at least 63%, its NOx emissions by 41%, its VOC emissions by 40% and its ammonia emissions by 17% compared to 1990.

The convention aims to ensure that the Atlantic tuna population is maintained at levels that will permit the maximum sustainable catch for food and other purposes, and introduces the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. The MARPOL Convention was adopted on 2 November 1973 at IMO. The Protocol of 1978 was adopted in response to a spate of tanker accidents in 1976-1977. As the 1973 MARPOL Convention had not yet entered into force, the 1978 MARPOL Protocol absorbed the parent Convention. The combined instrument entered into force on 2 October 1983. In 1997, a Protocol was adopted to amend

Optional Annex to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) as modified by the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL 73/78) in regards of hazardous substances carried in packaged form. Summary of provisions: The Annex sets Regulations for the prevention of pollution by harmful substances carried by sea in packaged forms, or in freight containers, portable tanks or road and rail tank wagons. Such carriage of harmful substances is prohibited except in accordance with the provisions of the Annex, which are to be supplemented by detailed requirements issued by each Party

The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was signed in 1946 and it is the International Whaling Commission’s founding document. The Convention includes a legally binding Schedule which, amongst other things, sets out catch limits for commercial and aboriginal subsistence whaling. The Schedule is an integral part of the Convention, but its provisions, for example catch limits, may be amended by the Commission. In practice, amendments to the Schedule are almost always agreed at the Commission’s biennial meetings. The IWC is the global body charged with the conservation of

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions .These amount to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012.

El Convenio busca llamar la atención sobre un metal usado a nivel mundial y omnipresente que, si bien es de origen natural, tiene un amplio uso en objetos cotidianos y se libera a la atmósfera, al suelo y al agua desde diversas fuentes. El control de las emisiones antrópicas de mercurio a lo largo de su ciclo de vida ha sido un factor clave a la hora de determinar las obligaciones del Convenio. Los aspectos más destacados del Convenio de Minamata incluyen la prohibición de nuevas minas de mercurio, la eliminación gradual de las existentes la reducción del uso del mercurio en una serie de

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was designed to reduce the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances in order to reduce their abundance in the atmosphere, and thereby protect the earth’s fragile ozone Layer. The original Montreal Protocol was agreed on 16 September 1987 and entered into force on 1 January 1989.

The Paris Agreement builds upon the Convention and – for the first time – brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so. As such, it charts a new course in the global climate effort.

In 1988 the Protocol concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or their Transboundary Fluxes was adopted in Sofia (Bulgaria). This Protocol requires as a first step, to freeze emissions of nitrogen oxides or their transboundary fluxes. The general reference year is 1987 (with the exception of the United States that chose to relate its emission target to 1978). Taking the sum of emissions of Parties to the NOx Protocol in 1994, or a previous year, where no recent data are available, also a reduction of 9% compared to 1987 can be noted. Nineteen of the 25 Parties to the 1988 NOx

In November 1991, the Protocol to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs, i.e. hydrocarbons) or Their Transboundary Fluxes, the second major air pollutant responsible for the formation of ground level ozone, was adopted. It has entered into force on 29 September 1997.

In 1997, a Protocol was adopted to amend the Convention and a new Annex VI was added which entered into force on 19 May 2005. Annex VI Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships (entered into force 19 May 2005) Sets limits on sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from ship exhausts and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances; designated emission control areas set more stringent standards for SOx, NOx and particulate matter. A chapter adopted in 2011 covers mandatory technical and operational energy efficiency measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships

The Executive Body adopted the Protocol on Heavy Metals on 24 June 1998 in Aarhus (Denmark). It targets three particularly harmful metals: cadmium, lead and mercury. According to one of the basic obligations, Parties will have to reduce their emissions for these three metals below their levels in 1990 (or an alternative year between 1985 and 1995). The Protocol aims to cut emissions from industrial sources (iron and steel industry, non-ferrous metal industry), combustion processes (power generation, road transport) and waste incineration. It lays down stringent limit values for emissions from

The Executive Body adopted the Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants on 24 June 1998 in Aarhus (Denmark). It focuses on a list of 16 substances that have been singled out according to agreed risk criteria. The substances comprise eleven pesticides, two industrial chemicals and three by-products/contaminants. The ultimate objective is to eliminate any discharges, emissions and losses of POPs. The Protocol bans the production and use of some products outright (aldrin, chlordane, chlordecone, dieldrin, endrin, hexabromobiphenyl, mirex and toxaphene). Others are scheduled for elimination at a

The objectives of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade are: To promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among Parties in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from potential harm; To contribute to the environmentally sound use of those hazardous chemicals, by facilitating information exchange about their characteristics, by providing for a national decision-making process on their import and export and by

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and wildlife, and have adverse effects to human health or to the environment. Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) can lead serious health effects including certain cancers, birth defects, dysfunctional immune and reproductive systems, greater susceptibility to disease and even diminished intelligence. Given

The Beijing Amendment (1999)The amendment to the Montreal Protocol agreed by the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties (Beijing, 29 November – 3 December 1999) The Beijing Amendment entered into force on 25 February 2002

The Copenhagen Amendment (1992): The amendment to the Montreal Protocol agreed by the Fourth Meeting of the Parties (Copenhagen, 23-25 November 1992) The Copenhagen Amendment entered into force on 14 June 1994

The Kigali Amendment (2016): The amendment to the Montreal Protocol agreed by the Twenty-Eighth Meeting of the Parties (Kigali, 10-15 October 2016).

The amendment to the Montreal Protocol agreed by the Second Meeting of the Parties (London, 27–29 June 1990) The London Amendment entered into force on 10 August 1992.

The Montreal Amendment (1997): The amendment to the Montreal Protocol agreed by the Ninth Meeting of the Parties (Montreal, 15-17 September 1997) The Montreal Amendment entered into force on 10 November 1999

The Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (UN Fish Stocks Agreement) entered into force on 11 December 2001. The UN Fish Stocks Agreement aims to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of straddling and highly migratory fish stocks within the framework of UNCLOS. The Agreement also spells out the duties of flag States including those related to registration and records of vessels

Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity, were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found. In the 10-Year Strategy of the UNCCD (2008-2018) that was adopted in 2007, Parties to the

The Convention on Climate Change sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change. It recognizes that the climate system is a shared resource whose stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and its Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer are dedicated to the protection of the earths ozone layer. With 197 parties, they are the most widely ratified treaties in United Nations history, and have, to date, enabled reductions of over 97% of all global consumption of controlled ozone depleting substances (measured in ODP tonnes).