UN Conventions

● The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

(UNCLOS)
○ It is an international agreement that establishes guidelines for
businesses, the environment, and the management of marine
natural resources.
○ UNCLOS became effective in the year 1994 and later in the year
2016, UNCLOS was joined by 167 countries and the European
Union.
○ The International Tribunal for the Law of the
Sea(ITLOS)
■ It is an independent judicial body that adjudicates disputes arising out of the
convention (UNCLOS).
■ It was created by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea which was signed
at Jamaica on the 10th of December 1982.
■ The convention became effective on 16th November 1994.
● The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
(UNCBD)
○ It is a United Nations treaty that is responsible for the
conservation of Biological Diversity around the world.
○ It is a multilateral treaty opened for signature at the Earth
Summit in Rio De Janeiro in 1992. It is a key document
regarding sustainable development.
○ 196 countries are a party to the CBD.
○ India is also a party to the Convention. India ratified it in 1994.
■ The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 was enacted for giving
effect to the provisions of the Convention.
■ To implement the provisions of the Act, the government
established the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) in
2003. The NBA is a statutory body.
● The Montreal Protocol
○ It is on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an
important Multilateral Agreement regulating the production,
consumption, and emissions of ozone-depleting substances
○ Signed in 1987
○ Came into force in 1989
○ The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
was signed in 1985 under which UN member countries
recognized the importance of curbing damage to the ozone
layer. As per the Convention’s provisions, countries agreed to
adopt the Montreal Protocol to further the goals of the Vienna
Convention.
○ It has been ratified by 197 Parties (196 member states of the
UN plus the EU) making it the first United Nations treaty to be
ratified by every country in the world.
○ India became a signatory to the Montreal Protocol in 1992.
○ The Kigali Agreement is an amendment to the Montreal
Protocol
■ The Kigali Amendment is the 8th amendment.
■ It happened during the 28th Meeting of Parties when the
197 member countries signed the agreement to amend
the Montreal Protocol.
■ It is so named because it happened in Kigali, the capital of
Rwanda in October 2016.
■ According to the terms of the Amendment, the signing
countries are expected to decrease the manufacture and
usage of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by about 80-85%
from their baselines until 2045.
■ This will curb global warming (by arresting global average
temperature rise to 0.5 degrees Celsius) by the year 2100.
■ The agreement aims to phase down HFCs by reducing its
manufacture and consumption.
● UNCCD stands for United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification.
○ Established in 1994, UNCCC is a sole legally binding
environment convention that links development and
environment to sustainable land management.
○ It became effective in 1996 after receiving 50 ratifications.
○ The 14th Conference of Parties (COP) to the UNCCD was held
in India in 2019.
■ The conference which was held in Greater Noida had the
theme, “Restore Land, Sustain Future”.
● The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change(UNFCC)
○ In Rio de Janeiro in Brazil,1992
○ 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 latest, COP26, was scheduled to be held in Glasgow,
Scotland in November 2020, but was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
● The Minamata Convention
○ The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an important
international treaty intended to protect health and the
environment from the adverse effects of mercury.
○ The Convention was signed in 2013 in Japan and entered into
force in 2017.
● Kyoto Protocol
○ 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.
○ It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan on 11 December 1997.
○ came into force on 16 February 2005.
○ India was exempted from legally binding commitments on
greenhouse gas emissions.
● The United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED)
○ It is 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.
○ The Rio Summit 1992 is also called the Earth Summit. This summit led to the
development of the following documents:
■ Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
■ Agenda 21
■ Forest Principles
○ The first document called the Rio Declaration, in short,
contained 27 principles that were supposed to guide countries
in future sustainable development. Agenda 21 is an action plan
concerning sustainable development, but it is non-binding. The
Forest Principles is formally called ‘Non-Legally Binding
Authoritative Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on
the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development
of All Types of Forests’. It makes many recommendations for
conservation and sustainable development forestry and is
non-binding.
● 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.
○
Sl. Name of Site State Location Date of Area
No. Declaration (in Sq.
km.)
1 Asan Conservation Reserve Uttarakhand 21.7.2020 4.444
2 Asthamudi Wetland Kerala 19.8.2002 614
3 Beas Conservation Reserve Punjab 26.9.2019 64.289
4 Bhitarkanika Mangroves Orissa 19.8.2002 650
5 Bhoj Wetlands Madhya Pradesh 19.8.2002 32.01
6 Chandertal Wetland Himachal 8.11.2005 0.49
Pradesh
7 Chilka Lake Orissa 1.10.1981 1165
8 Deepor Beel Assam 19.8.2002 40
9 East Kolkata Wetlands West Bengal 19.8.2002 125
10 Harike Lake Punjab 23.3.1990 41
11 Hokera Wetland Jammu and 8.11.2005 13.75
Kashmir
12 Kabartal Wetland Bihar 21.07.2020 26.20
13 Kanjli Lake Punjab 22.1.2002 1.83
14 Keoladeo Ghana NP Rajasthan 1.10.1981 28.73
15 Keshopur-Miani Community Punjab 26.9.2019 3.439
Reserve
16 Kolleru Lake Andhra Pradesh 19.8.2002 901
17 Loktak Lake Manipur 23.3.1990 266
18 Lonar Lake Maharashtra 22.7.2020 4.27
19 Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary Gujarat 24.09.2012 120
20 Nandur Madhameshwar Maharashtra 21.6.2019 14.37
21 Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary Punjab 26.9.2019 1.16
22 Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh 19.9.2019 2.246
23 Parvati Agra Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh 2.12.2019 7.22
24 Point Calimere Wildlife and Tamil Nadu 19.8.2002 385
Bird Sanctuary
25 Pong Dam Lake Himachal 19.8.2002 156.62
Pradesh
26 Renuka Wetland Himachal 8.11.2005 0.2
Pradesh
27 Ropar Lake Punjab 22.1.2002 13.65
28 Rudrasagar Lake Tripura 8.11.2005 2.4
29 Saman Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh 2.12.2019 52.63
30 Samaspur Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh 3.10.2019 79.94
31 Sambhar Lake Rajasthan 23.3.1990 240
32 Sandi Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh 26.9.2019 30.85
33 Sarsai Nawar Jheel Uttar Pradesh 19.9.2019 16.13
34 Sasthamkotta Lake Kerala 19.8.2002 3.73
35 Sunderbans Wetland West Bengal 30.1.2019 4230
36 Surinsar-Mansar Lakes Jammu and 8.11.2005 3.5
Kashmir
37 Sur Sarovar Uttar Pradesh 21.8.2020 4.31
38 Tso Kar Wetland Complex Ladakh 17.11.2020 95.77
39 Tsomoriri Lake Jammu and 19.8.2002 120
Kashmir
40 Upper Ganga River Uttar Pradesh 8.11.2005 265.9
(Brijghat to Narora Stretch)
41 Vembanad Kol Wetland Kerala 19.8.2002 1512.5
42 Wular Lake Jammu & 23.3.1990 189
Kashmir
43 Bhindawas wildlife sanctuary Haryana 2021
44. Sultanpur National Park Haryana 2021
45 Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary Gujrat 2021
46 Wadhvana Wetland-[[ Gujrat 2021