Convention is a term generally used for formal multilateral treaties with a broad number of parties. Conventions are normally open for participation by the international community as a whole, or by a large number of states. Usually the instruments negotiated under the auspices of an international organization are entitled conventions (e.g., The Convention on Biological Diversity of 1992, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982, the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of 1969). The generic term ‘convention’ is synonymous with the generic term treaty.

Basel Convention
The Basel Convention on Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal was adopted in response to concerns about toxic waste from industrialized countries being dumped in developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

Its objectives are
• to minimize the generation of hazardous wastes in terms of quantity and hazardousness;
• to dispose of them as close to the source of generation as possible;
• to reduce the movement of hazardous wastes.

Secretariat of the Basel Convention administered by UNEP www.basel.int

Stockholm Convention on POPs
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is a global treaty adopted to protect human health and the environment from “POPs”, chemicals that are highly toxic, persistent, bioaccumulate and move long distance in the environment. The Convention seeks the elimination or restriction of production and use of all intentionally produced POPs(i.e industrial chemicals and pesticides). It also seeks the continuing minimization and, where feasible, ultimate elimination of the releases of unintentionally produced POPs such as dioxins and furans.

Interim Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention, UNEP www.pops.int

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa. The treaty acknowledges that the causes of desertification are many and complex, ranging from international trade patterns to the unsustainable land management practices of local communities.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Convention UNFCCC
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Convention (UNFCC) is the foundation of global efforts to combat global warming. The objective of this Convention is stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.

Climate Change Secretariat, Bonn, Germany www.unfccc.int

Ramsar Convention
The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, 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. It is known popularly as the "Ramsar Convention".

There are 19 Ramsar sites in India covering a surface area of 648507 sq. km

Ramsar Convention Bureau Gland, Switzerland www.ramsar.org

Kyoto Protocol
In December 1997, more than 160 nations met in Kyoto, Japan, to negotiate binding limitations on greenhouse gases for the developed nations, pursuant to the objectives of the Framework Convention on Climate Change of 1992. The outcome of the meeting was the Kyoto Protocol, in which the developed nations agreed to limit their greenhouse gas emissions, relative to the levels emitted in 1990.

Climate Change Secretariat, Bonn, Germany www.unfccc.int

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
The three objectives of the CBD are:
• the conservation of biological diversity,
• the sustainable use of its components,
• the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

CBD Secretariat administered by UNEP www.biodiv.org

The 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, CITES, aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Because the trade in wild animals and plants crosses borders between countries, the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation.

CITES secretariat administered by UNEP. www.cites.org

Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer stipulates that the production and consumption of compounds that deplete ozone in the stratosphere, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform be phased out.

Vienna Convention
The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985), which outlines states' responsibilities for protecting human health and the environment against the adverse effects of ozone depletion, established the framework under which the Montreal Protocol was negotiated.