Conventions

 AARHUS CONVENTION
Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters

The UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters was adopted on 25th June 1998 in the Danish city of Aarhus at the Fourth Ministerial Conference in the 'Environment for Europe' process.

The Aarhus Convention is a new kind of environmental agreement. It links environmental rights and human rights. It acknowledges that we owe an obligation to future generations. It establishes that sustainable development can be achieved only through the involvement of all stakeholders. It links government accountability and environmental protection. It focuses on interactions between the public and public authorities in a democratic context and it is forging a new process for public participation in the negotiation and implementation of international agreements.

For more Information visit: www.unece.org/env/pp

 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

FCCC Convention Text

For more Information visit: www.globelaw.com/Climate/fcc.htm

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

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.

For more Information visit: www.cites.org

Stockholm Convention On Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and are toxic to humans and wildlife. POPs circulate globally and can cause damage wherever they travel. In implementing the Convention, Governments will take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment.

For more Information visit: www.pops.int

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The States Parties to the present Covenant,
Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

For more Information visit: www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a_cescr.htm

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

The States Parties to the present Covenant,
Noting that the Charter of the United Nations reaffirms faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women,
Noting that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms the principle of the inadmissibility of discrimination and proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, including distinction based on sex,

For more Information visit: www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/e1cedaw.htm

Convention on the Rights of the Child

The States Parties to the present Covenant,
Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Bearing in mind that the peoples of the United Nations have, in the Charter, reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person, and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

For more Information visit: www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/crc/treaties/crc.htm

The Vienna Convention

In 1985, nations agreed in Vienna to take "appropriate measures...to protect human health and the environment against adverse effects resulting or likely to result from human activities which modify or are likely to modify the Ozone Layer", thus the Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was born.

The main thrust of the Convention was to encourage research and overall cooperation among countries and exchange of information. Even so it took four years to prepare and agree. Twenty nations signed it in Vienna, but most did not rush to ratify it. The Convention provided for future protocols and specified procedures for Amendment and dispute settlement.

For more Information visit:
www.unep.ch/Ozone/Treaties_and_Ratification/2A_vienna_convention.asp

Basel Convention On The Control Of Transboundary Movements Of Hazardous Wastes And Their Disposal

The Parties to this Convention,
Aware of the risk of damage to human health and the environment caused by hazardous wastes and other wastes and the transboundary movement thereof,

Mindful of the growing threat to human health and the environment posed by the increased generation and complexity, and transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and other wastes,

For more Information visit: www.basel.int