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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
