Seven hundred fifty people died in the “pea soup” fog attributed to air pollution in London in

1962.
A coal mine waste pile collapsed in 1966, burying 116 children and 28 adults in Aberfan, Wales.
In 1967, the Torrey Canyon oil tanker spilled millions of litres of oil in the English Channel.
In 1969, a passing train inadvertently ignited floating pieces of oil-slicked debris on Ohio’s Cuyahoga River.
An oil spill off Santa Barbara, California, killed an estimated 3,500 seabirds.
Europe was shocked by a mass fish poisoning in the Rhine River.
Drought ravaged the Sahel, causing starvation among some of the world’s poorest people.
Japan mourned the 2,265 victims of mercury poisoning caused by a chemical company releasing the toxin into Minamata
Bay. The site would lend its name to Minamata disease, the neurological disease caused by mercury poisoning.

Silent Spring, written by Rachel Carson, captured the public and scientific moment.
Carson exposed the devastating effects of pesticides and other chemical substances on humans and the environment.
Scientists were starting to study the negative environmental and societal effects of the industrialized world.
Amid the Cold War and with many countries struggling to free themselves from colonialism, it was clear a collective
response was necessary.
Some governments called for expanding United Nations activities into the environmental field.
The UN’s foundational treaty, the United Nations Charter, sets out to improve living conditions for all people, and promote
peace, stability, economic development, and human rights—but it was silent on environmental issues.
By the late 1960s, Sweden was a respected middle power, able to challenge the United States and the Soviet Union and
their Cold War status quo.
Swedish diplomats tried to shift the global agenda towards international development and environmental protection
(Grieger, 2012).
In 1967, Sweden proposed to convene a UN conference on the human environment, arguing the time was ripe for a serious,
substantive discussion at the global level about environmental problems.

The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm was the first world conference to make
the environment a manjor issue.
The participants adopted a series of principles for sound management of the environment including the Stockholm
Declaration and Action Plan for the Human Environment and several resolutions.
The Stockholm Declaration, which contained 26 principles, placed environmental issues at the forefront of
international concerns and marked the start of a dialogue between industrialized and developing countries on the link
between economic growth, the pollution of the air, water, and oceans and the well-being of people around the world.
The Action Plan contained three main categories:
a) Global Environmental Assessment Programme (watch plan);
b) Environmental management activities;
(c) International measures to support assessment and management activities carried out at the national and
international levels.
In addition, these categories were broken down into 109 recommendations.
One of the major results of the Stockholm conference was the creation of the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP).
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the 'Earth Summit',
was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 3-14 June 1992.
This global conference, held on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the first Human Environment
Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972, brought together political leaders, diplomats, scientists,
representatives of the media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from 179 countries for a massive
effort to focus on the impact of human socio-economic activities on the environment.

One of the major results of the UNCED Conference was Agenda 21, a daring program of action calling for new
strategies to invest in the future to achieve overall sustainable development in the 21st century.
Its recommendations ranged from new methods of education, to new ways of preserving natural resources and new
ways of participating in a sustainable economy.
The 'Earth Summit' had many great achievements: the Rio Declaration and its 27 universal principles, the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity; and the
Declaration on the principles of forest management .
The 'Earth Summit' also led to the creation of the Commission on Sustainable Development, the holding of first world
conference on the sustainable development of small island developing States in 1994, and negotiations for the
establishment of the agreement on straddling stocks and highly migratory fish stocks.
Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally
by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every
area in which human impacts on the environment.

Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of
principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests were adopted by more than 178
Governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992.

The Conventions, Principles and Declarations of the Earth Summit, provide guidelines to
deal with the problems of poverty, hunger, resource consumption and the deterioration of
ecosystems. Agenda 21 provides a format for this to happen, detailing an action plan for
sustainable development and establishing targets for actions that combine economic
development and environmental protection. Agenda 21:

Is the blueprint for sustainability in the 21st century.

Provides options for combating the deterioration of land, air and water, whilst conserving
habitats and their diversity.
Deals with poverty, over consumption, health and education.
Promotes roles for all. Everyone governments, business, trade unions, scientists, teachers,
indigenous people and youth have roles to play in achieving sustainable development and
should be involved in the decision making processes.
Encourages the reduction of environmentally and socially detrimental processes, but within
a framework which allows economic success.

The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in December

1992 to ensure effective follow-up of UNCED, to monitor and report on
implementation of the agreements at the local, national, regional and
international levels. It was agreed that a five year review of Earth Summit
progress would be made in 1997 by the United Nations General Assembly
meeting in special session.

The full implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for Further

Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Commitments to the Rio principles, were
strongly reaffirmed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 26 August to 4 September 2002.
 UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON
CLIMATE CHANGE (UNFCCC)
What is a UN Convention?
A UN Convention is a binding agreement
between different countries. Under such
Conventions, nations adopt key goals at annual
Conferences of the Parties (COPs) and report
periodically on progress in implementing these
goals. Each Rio Convention has a supporting
secretariat. A key task of the secretariats is to
organize annual COPs which are attended by
national delegations and numerous participants
of observer organizations, including from
business and civil society. Other key tasks are
to help governments report data and to
organize technical workshops.

SECRETARIAT
The UNFCCC secretariat (UN Climate Change) is the United Nations entity tasked with
supporting the global response to the threat of climate change.
The Convention has near universal membership (198 Parties) and is the parent treaty of
the 2015 Paris Agreement. The main aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep the global
average temperature rise this century as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius above
pre-industrial levels. The UNFCCC is also the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

The secretariat was established in 1992 when countries adopted the UNFCCC. The
original secretariat was in Geneva. Since 1996, the secretariat has been located in Bonn,
Germany.

TIMELINE
1979 — The first World Climate Conference (WCC) takes place.
1988 — The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is set up
1990 — IPCC's first assessment report released. IPCC and second World Climate Conference call for a global treaty on climate change.
United Nations General Assembly negotiations on a framework convention begin
1991 — First meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) takes place.
1992 — The INC adopts UNFCCC text. At the Earth Summit in Rio, the UNFCCC is opened for signature along with its sister Rio Conventions,
UNCBD and UNCCD.
1994 — UNFCCC enters into force.
1995 — The first Conference of the Parties (COP 1) takes place in Berlin.
1996 — The UNFCCC Secretariat is set up to support action under the Convention.
1997 — Kyoto Protocol formally adopted in December at COP 3
2001 — Release of IPCC's Third Assessment Report. Bonn Agreements adopted, based on the Buenos Aires Plan of Action of 1998.
Marrakesh Accords adopted at COP 7, detailing rules for implementation of Kyoto Protocol, setting up new funding and planning instruments
for adaptation, and establishing a technology transfer framework.
2005 — Entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. The first Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (MOP 1) takes place in Montreal.
2007 — IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report released. Climate science entered into popular consciousness. At COP 13, Parties agreed on the
Bali Road Map, which charted the way towards a post-2012 outcome.
2009 — Copenhagen Accord drafted at COP 15 in Copenhagen. This was taken note of by the COP. Countries later submitted emissions
reductions pledges or mitigation action pledges, all non-binding.
2010 — Cancun Agreements drafted and largely accepted by the COP, at COP 16.
2011 — The Durban Platform for Enhanced Action drafted and accepted by the COP, at COP17.
2012 - The Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol is adopted by the CMP at CMP 8.
2013 - Key decisions adopted at COP 19/CMP 9 include decisions on further advancing the Durban Platform, the Green Climate
Fund and Long-Term Finance, the Warsaw Framework for REDD Plus and the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and
Damage. Under the Durban Platform, Parties agreed to submit “intended nationally determined contributions”, known as INDCs,
well before the Paris conference.
2014 - At COP 20 in Lima in 2014, Parties adopted the ‘Lima Call for Action’, which elaborated key elements of the forthcoming
agreement in Paris.
2015 - Intensive negotiations took place under the Ad Hoc Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) throughout
2012-2015 and culminated in the adoption of the Paris Agreement by the COP on 12 December 2015.

FINANCIAL MECHANISM / FUNDS

 KYOTO PROTOCOL

In its Annex B, the Kyoto Protocol sets binding emission

reduction targets for 37 industrialized countries and
economies in transition and the European Union. Overall,
these targets add up to an average 5 per cent emission
reduction compared to 1990 levels over the five year
period 2008–2012 (the first commitment period).

The Clean Development

Mechanism (CDM), defined in
Article 12 of the Protocol,
allows a country with an
emission-reduction or
emission-limitation
commitment under the
Kyoto Protocol (Annex B
Party) to implement an
emission-reduction project
in developing countries. Such
projects can earn saleable
certified emission reduction
(CER) credits, each
equivalent to one tonne of
CO2, which can be counted
towards meeting Kyoto
targets.

The Adaptation Fund was established to

finance adaptation projects and programmes in
developing countries that are Parties to the
Kyoto Protocol. In the first commitment
period, the Fund was financed mainly with a
share of proceeds from CDM project activities.
In Doha, in 2012, it was decided that for the
second commitment period, international
emissions trading and joint implementation
would also provide the Adaptation Fund with a
2 percent share of proceeds.
 CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

HISTORY
The Earth's biological resources are vital to humanity's economic and social
development. As a result, there is a growing recognition that biological diversity is
a global asset of tremendous value to present and future generations. At the same
time, the threat to species and ecosystems has never been so great as it is today.
Species extinction caused by human activities continues at an alarming rate.

In response, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) convened the Ad

Hoc Working Group of Experts on Biological Diversity in November 1988 to explore
the need for an international convention on biological diversity. Soon after, in May
1989, it established the Ad Hoc Working Group of Technical and Legal Experts to
prepare an international legal instrument for the conservation and sustainable use
of biological diversity. The experts were to take into account "the need to share
costs and benefits between developed and developing countries" as well as "ways
and means to support innovation by local people".
The Convention was opened for signature By February 1991, the Ad Hoc Working Group had become known as the
at the United Nations Conference on Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee.
Environment and Development in Rio de Its work culminated on 22 May 1992 with the Nairobi Conference for the
Janeiro in June 1992. It came into force Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
at the end of 1993 The Convention was opened for signature on 5 June 1992 at the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (the Rio "Earth Summit").
It remained open for signature until 4 June 1993, by which time it had received
168 signatures. The Convention entered into force on 29 December 1993, which
was 90 days after the 30th ratification.
The first session of the Conference of the Parties was scheduled for 28 November
– 9 December 1994 in the Bahamas.
 UNITED NATION CONVENTION TO COMBAT
DESERTIFICATION (UNCCD)

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was established in 1994 to protect and restore our land and
ensure a safer, just, and more sustainable future.

The UNCCD is the only legally binding framework set up to address desertification and the effects of drought.

There are 197 Parties to the Convention, including 196 country Parties and the European Union.

The Convention – based on the principles of participation, partnership and decentralization – is a multilateral commitment to
mitigate the impact of land degradation, and protect our land so we can provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to
all people.

The COP has been meeting biennially since 2001, and has held
14 sessions.

UNCCD COP15 was held from 9-20 May 2022 in Abidjan, Cote
d’Ivoire.

The next UNCCD COP16 will take place 2-13 December 2024 in
Saudi Arabia.

THE DRAUGHT INITIATIVE

Drought puts livelihoods and ecosystems at risk and, in extreme cases, can trigger famine, displacement and conflict.
Sixty per cent of all deaths caused by extreme weather events are caused by droughts, even though they represent only 15 per cent of natural
disasters.
Yet, despite the fact that 70 countries in the world are regularly affected by droughts, in 2013, only three countries had comprehensive action
plans.
Making everyone resilient to drought is a core mandate of the UNCCD. Thanks to our efforts, the number of countries that have prepared
drought action plans has now risen to 60, while another six countries are in the process of developing such plans.
In 2018, to help address this challenge, we established the Drought Initiative. The Initiative is based on the premise that the impact of a drought
is not determined solely by the severity of the drought, but by the ability of communities and countries to anticipate and prepare for it.
Our goal is to promote a decisive shift in drought management, one that moves from being reactive and crisis-based to a proactive approach; one
that prioritizes prevention and preparedness and is rooted in a green recovery.

LAND DEGRADATION NEUTRALITY GREEN WALL INITIATIVE

Launched in 2007 by the African Union, the game-changing African-led Great
Land is being degraded rapidly worldwide. Ensuring food security for a Green Wall initiative aims to restore the continent’s degraded landscapes and
growing global population requires healthy land resources and flourishing transform millions of lives in the Sahel.
ecosystems. Yet our current agricultural practices are causing soils worldwide
to be eroded up to 100 times faster than natural processes replenish them. This ambitious project is being implemented across 22 African countries and will
The UNCCD’s goal of land degradation neutrality (LDN) can halt, and then revitalize thousands of communities across the continent. It brings together
reverse, this alarming picture of the future. We are already helping 131 of African countries and international partners under the leadership of the African
Union Commission and the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green. More than USD
the world’s 196 countries that have pledged (or are aiming) to arrest land
8 billion has been raised and pledged to support this game-changing initiative.
degradation by 2030. More than 100 countries participate in the Changwon
Initiative, which supports national voluntary target setting processes to
Objectives
achieve land degradation neutrality (LDN). We define LDN as “a state whereby
The GGW initiative’s ambition is to restore 100 million hectares of currently
the amount and quality of land resources necessary to support ecosystem degraded land; sequester 250 million tons of carbon and create 10 million green
functions and services to enhance food security remain stable, or increase, jobs by 2030.
within specified temporal and spatial scales and ecosystems.”
WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, 2002
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (or Earth Summit 2002, or Rio + 10)
took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 26 through September 4, 2002.

The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg adopted a Political

Declaration and Implementation Plan which included provisions covering a set of activities
and measures to be taken in order to achieve development that takes into account respect
for the environment.
In doing so, this Summit, which saw the participation of more than a hundred heads of
state and government and tens of thousands of government representatives and non-
governmental organizations, resulted, after several days of deliberations, decisions that
related to water, energy, health, agriculture, biological diversity and other areas of
concern.

.Main outcomes include the reaffirmation of sustainability as a basic worldwide need, the
establishment of a World Solidarity Fund, the eradication of poverty and the agreement on
particular attention to the needs of the African countries.
 UN CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, 2012

Rio+20 - the short name for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012 - was an historic
opportunity to define pathways to a safer, more equitable, cleaner, greener and more
prosperous world for all.

It was organized in pursuance of General Assembly Resolution 64/236, and took

place to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary
of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg.

The Conference focused on two themes: The preparations for Rio+20 highlighted
(a) a green economy in the context of sustainable seven areas which needed priority
attention; these included decent jobs,
development and poverty eradication; and
energy, sustainable cities, food security and
(b) the institutional framework for sustainable
sustainable agriculture, water, oceans and
development. disaster readiness.

THE FUTURE WE WANT

At the Rio+20 Conference in June 2012, the heads of state of the 192 governments in attendance,
renewed their political commitment to sustainable development and declared their commitment to the
promotion of a sustainable future through the 49-page nonbinding document, “The Future We Want”

The Future We Want is the declaration on sustainable development and a green economy adopted
at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio on June 19, 2012.
The Declaration includes broad sustainability objectives within themes of Poverty Eradication, Food
Security and Sustainable Agriculture, Energy, Sustainable Transport, Sustainable Cities, Health and
Population and Promoting Full and Productive Employment.
It calls for the negotiation and adoption of internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals
by end 2014.
It also calls for a UN resolution strengthening and consolidating UNEP both financially and
institutionally so that it can better disseminate environmental information and provide capacity
building for countries.
UN SUMMIT ON MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS, 2000

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000, the largest gathering of world

leaders in history adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration, committing
their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting
out a series of targets, with a deadline of 2015.
These have become known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
In 2007, the MDG monitoring framework was revised to include four new targets
agreed on by member states at the 2005 World Summit, namely, full and
productive employment and decent work for all, access to reproductive health,
access to treatment for HIV/AIDS, and protection of biodiversity.
The indicators for these new targets became effective in January 2008 and this
is the framework used here to monitor progress toward achieving the MDGs.
The MDG was replaced by the sustainable development goals (SDGs)in 2015.
 COPENHAGEN CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT

The Copenhagen Climate Change summit was a gathering of world leaders in the capital
of Denmark over a two week period from 7th - 18th December 2009.

It was the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the 5th
session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the
Kyoto Protocol and was hosted by the Government of Denmark.

The aims of this meeting was to come up with a deal to replace the Kyoto protocol, a deal which
is to expire in 2012.
15,000 delegates and officials were present, representing 192 nations, all with different
expectations/aspirations of what they wanted to achieve.
 VIENNA CONVENTION & MONTREAL PROTOCOL

The Vienna Convention was the first convention of any kind to be signed by every
country involved, taking effect in 1988 and reaching universal ratification in 2009.

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is the landmark multilateral environmental agreement that
regulates the production and consumption of nearly 100 man-made chemicals referred to as ozone depleting substances (ODS).
When released into the atmosphere, those chemicals damage the stratospheric ozone layer, Earth’s protective shield that
protects humans and the environment from harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Adopted on 16 September 1987,
the Protocol is to date one of the rare treaties to achieve universal ratification.
The Montreal Protocol phases down the consumption and production of the different ODS in a step-wise manner, with different
timetables for developed and developing countries (referred to as “Article 5 countries”).
Under this treaty, all parties have specific responsibilities related to the phase out of the different groups of ODS, control of
ODS trade, annual reporting of data, national licensing systems to control ODS imports and exports, and other matters.
Developing and developed countries have equal but differentiated responsibilities, but most importantly, both groups of
countries have binding, time-targeted, and measurable commitments.
INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS RELATED TO CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES

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.
The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) is the designated
interim financial mechanism for the Stockholm Convention.

The Convention aims to protect human health and the

environment against the adverse effects resulting from the
generation, transboundary movements and management of
hazardous wastes and other wastes. The Basel Convention
regulates the transboundary movements of hazardous wastes
and other wastes and obliges its Parties to ensure that such
wastes are managed and disposed of in an environmentally sound
manner. The Convention covers toxic, poisonous, explosive,
corrosive, flammable, ecotoxic and infectious wastes. Parties also
have an obligation to minimize the quantities that are
transported, to treat and dispose of wastes as close as possible
to their place of generation and to prevent or minimize the
generation of wastes at source.

The Convention covers pesticides and industrial chemicals that

have been banned or severely restricted for health or
environmental reasons by Parties and which have been notified by
Parties for inclusion in the PIC procedure. One notification from
each of two specified regions triggers consideration of addition
of a chemical to Annex III of the Convention. Severely hazardous
pesticide formulations that present a risk under conditions of use
in developing countries or countries with economies in transition
may also be proposed for inclusion in Annex III.

Once a chemical is included in Annex III, a "decision guidance

document" (DGD) containing information concerning the chemical
and the regulatory decisions to ban or severely restrict the
chemical for health or environmental reasons, is circulated to all
Parties.

Parties have nine months to prepare a response concerning the

future import of the chemical. The response can consist of either
a final decision (to allow import of the chemical, not to allow
import, or to allow import subject to specified conditions) or an
interim response. Decisions by an importing country must be
trade neutral (that is, decisions must apply equally to domestic
production for domestic use as well as to imports from any
source).
 RAMSAR CONVENTION
The Ramsar Convention is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the
conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975.
Since then, almost 90% of UN member states have become “Contracting Parties” and committed to
the Convention’s three pillars:
Work towards the wise use of all their wetlands
Designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands International Importance and ensure their
effective management
Cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared species

WETLAND
The Convention uses a broad definition of
wetlands. This includes all lakes and rivers,
underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet
grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and
tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas,
coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as
fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body
for assessing the science related to climate change.
It was Created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
The objective of the IPCC is to provide governments at all levels with scientific
information that they can use to develop climate policies.
IPCC reports are also a key input into international climate change negotiations.
The IPCC is an organization of governments that are members of the United Nations
or WMO.
The IPCC currently has 195 members. Thousands of people from all over the world
contribute to the work of the IPCC.
For the assessment reports, experts volunteer their time as IPCC authors to assess
the thousands of scientific papers published each year to provide a comprehensive
summary of what is known about the drivers of climate change, its impacts and
future risks, and how adaptation and mitigation can reduce those risks.
An open and transparent review by experts and governments around the world is an
essential part of the IPCC process, to ensure an objective and complete assessment
and to reflect a diverse range of views and expertise.
Through its assessments, the IPCC identifies the strength of scientific agreement in
different areas and indicates where further research is needed.
The IPCC does not conduct its own research.
 UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP)

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022.

Founded in 1972 following the landmark UN Conference on the Human Environment, UNEP was conceived to monitor the state of the
environment, inform policy making with science and coordinate responses to the world’s environmental challenges.

Since its creation, UNEP has worked closely with its 193 Member States and other stakeholders to galvanize worldwide commitments and
coordinated action to address many of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is an international entity whose mandate is to promote sustainable
development and prudent use of the global environment.
It assists many countries to achieve resilient, low-emission pathways through its flagship programmes in adaptation,
forestry, energy efficiency and transition to sustainable development.
Its key activities include promoting investment in clean technologies in order to reduce emissions, protecting biodiversity
and ecosystems, alleviating poverty, and ecosystem-based adaptation in order to reduce human vulnerability and strengthen
resilience to the impacts of climate change.
It works with the financial communities to mobilize financial resources for investments in low carbon and climate resilient
development; developing climate finance readiness and capacity-building; and undertaking policy and research analysis.

As the leading global environmental authority, UNEP administers, or provides secretariat functions for numerous Multilateral
Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and other entities as follows:

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

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

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)

Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA)

Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and Their Habitats
Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS)
Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS)

Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal

Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Minamata Convention on Mercury

Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer

Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol

 GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF)

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a family of funds dedicated to confronting biodiversity loss,
climate change, pollution, and strains on land and ocean health. Its grants, blended financing, and policy
support help developing countries address their biggest environmental priorities and adhere to
international environmental conventions.

The GEF is A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP of 18 agencies — including United Nations agencies, multilateral
development banks, national entities and international NGOs — working with 183 countries to address the
world’s most challenging environmental issues.
The GEF has a large network of civil society organizations, works closely with the private sector around the
world, and receives continuous inputs from an independent evaluation office and a world-class scientific
panel.
It is a FINANCIAL MECHANISM for five major international environmental conventions:
the Minamata Convention on Mercury,
the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs),
the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD),
the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The Council, the GEF's main governing body, comprises 32 members appointed by constituencies of
member countries.

GEF funds are available to

developing countries seeking to
meet the objectives of
international environmental
agreements. Support is provided to
government agencies, civil society
organizations, private sector
companies, research institutions,
and other partners to implement
projects and programs related to
environmental conservation,
protection, and renewal.