Key International Environmental Conventions and Agreements
›*UNCED / Earth Summit (Rio de Janeiro, June 1992):**
›Also known as Rio Summit / Rio Conference
›Key outputs: Rio Declaration (27 principles), Agenda 21, Forest Principles
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International environmental governance is shaped by a series of landmark conventions and protocols. These range from biodiversity and wildlife trade to climate change and hazardous waste. UPSC regularly tests knowledge of which convention covers what, and key details like year, venue, and legally binding status.
**Major groupings:**
1. Nature conservation: UNCED, CBD, Ramsar, CITES, CMS, IUCN, Global Tiger Forum
2. Hazardous material: Stockholm, Basel, Rotterdam Conventions
3. Land: UNCCD (desertification)
4. Marine: International Whaling Commission
5. Atmosphere: Vienna Convention + Montreal Protocol, UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol
All key facts
›*UNCED / Earth Summit (Rio de Janeiro, June 1992):**
›Also known as Rio Summit / Rio Conference
›Key outputs: Rio Declaration (27 principles), Agenda 21, Forest Principles
›Agenda 21: action plan for sustainable development; "21" refers to 21st century agenda
›Local Agenda 21: national/state governments to implement locally
›Rio+5 (1997): UN General Assembly reviewed progress; found it "uneven"
›Johannesburg Summit (2002) / Earth Summit 2002: committed to full Agenda 21 implementation
›Rio+20 (2012): held in Rio; focused on green economy and international coordination; >$513 billion pledged
›*Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD):**
›First convention to recognise conservation of biodiversity as "a common concern of humankind"
›Three main goals: conservation of biodiversity; sustainable use of components; fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources
›Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: regulates import/export of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs); establishes Advance Informed Agreement (AIA) procedure; 270-day decision window for importing party; Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) = central information system
›Nagoya–Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol: specifies response measures for damage from LMOs
›Nagoya Protocol on ABS (Access and Benefit Sharing): transparent legal framework for fair sharing of benefits from genetic resources; prior informed consent; mutually agreed terms required
›*Ramsar Convention on Wetlands:**
›Focus: conservation and wise use of wetlands
›Designates Ramsar sites of international importance
›India has one of the largest numbers of Ramsar sites globally
›*CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora):**
›Regulates international trade in endangered species
›Three appendices: Appendix I (most endangered, trade generally prohibited), Appendix II (controlled trade), Appendix III (unilateral protection by one country)
›TRAFFIC: Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network associated with CITES implementation
›*Convention on Migratory Species (CMS / Bonn Convention):**
›Protects migratory animals and their habitats across national borders
›*Stockholm Convention:**
›On Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
›Targets 12 "dirty dozen" chemicals including DDT, PCBs, dioxins
›*Basel Convention:**
›Controls transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal
›Aims to reduce shipment of hazardous waste from developed to developing countries
›*Rotterdam Convention:**
›Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure for certain hazardous chemicals in international trade
›*UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification):**
›Addresses land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas
›Established Sustainable Development Goals link to land degradation neutrality
›*International Whaling Commission (IWC):**
›Regulates commercial whaling; imposed moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982 (effective 1986)
›*Vienna Convention + Montreal Protocol:**
›Vienna Convention (1985): framework for protecting the ozone layer
›Montreal Protocol (1987, effective 1989): specific controls on ozone-depleting substances; signed in Montreal, Canada
›CFC phase-out; HFCs are the replacement (though HFCs are GHGs — addressed by Kigali Amendment)
›*UNFCCC:**
›Framework convention from Rio 1992
›Objective: stabilise GHG concentrations to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with climate system
›Non-binding in itself; provides framework for further agreements
›*Kyoto Protocol:**
›Legally binding emission reduction commitments for Annex I (developed) countries
›Flexibility mechanisms: CDM (Clean Development Mechanism), Joint Implementation, Emissions Trading
›CDM allows developed countries to earn CERs (Certified Emission Reductions) by funding projects in developing countries
›*Paris Agreement (2015, COP21):**
›Adopted at COP21 in Paris; legally binding
›Goal: limit global warming to well below 2°C, pursue efforts to limit to 1.5°C
›All countries submit NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) — unlike Kyoto which only covered Annex I
›International Solar Alliance (ISA) also launched at COP21 in Paris
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Nagoya Protocol — Access and Benefit Sharing
›**Full Name:** Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
›**Common Name:** Also known as the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS).
›**Parent Agreement:** It is a 2010 supplementary agreement to the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
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The Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) is a 2010 supplementary agreement to the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It aims to implement one of the three core objectives of the CBD: the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources. This protocol establishes a framework to ensure that countries providing genetic resources and traditional knowledge associated with them receive a fair share of the benefits when these resources are used for research, development, or commercialization.
For UPSC Prelims, understanding the Nagoya Protocol is crucial as it represents a key international environmental convention addressing biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and the equitable distribution of natural resource benefits. It is a fundamental instrument in the global effort to combat biopiracy by asserting national sovereignty over genetic resources and ensuring that resource providers, often developing countries, benefit from their utilization.
All key facts
›**Full Name:** Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
›**Common Name:** Also known as the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS).
›**Parent Agreement:** It is a 2010 supplementary agreement to the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
›**Adoption:** Adopted on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10).
›**Entry into Force:** Entered into force on 12 October 2014.
›**Core Objective:** Implements one of the three objectives of the CBD: the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.
›**Contribution:** Aims to contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
›**Sovereignty & Biopiracy:** Empowers each country with sovereign rights over its biological resources, aiming to prevent biopiracy.
›**Scope:** Applies to genetic resources covered by the CBD and to traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources, including the benefits arising from their utilization.
›**Access Obligations:** Parties must establish legal certainty, transparency, fair rules for Prior Informed Consent (PIC), and Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT) for accessing genetic resources.
›**Benefit-Sharing Obligations:** Requires fair and equitable sharing of benefits, which can be monetary (e.g., royalties) or non-monetary (e.g., research results), arising from the utilization of genetic resources.
›**Compliance Obligations:** Includes specific obligations for parties to ensure compliance with domestic access legislation and contractual obligations (MAT), including measures for access to justice and monitoring.
›**Implementation Tools:** Parties establish National Focal Points (NFPs) and Competent National Authorities (CNAs) and utilize an Access and Benefit-sharing Clearing-House to facilitate information exchange.
›**Ratification Status:** As of August 2025, it has been ratified by 142 parties, including 141 UN member states and the European Union.
›**Digital Sequence Information (DSI):** While the protocol initially considered DSI, COP 15 (2022) established a separate multilateral framework for DSI, which decouples access from benefit-sharing.
Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)
›The Nagoya Protocol is legally a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). (p. 327)
›Its main objective is the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources, contributing to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. (p. 327)
›Benefit-sharing is subject to "mutually agreed terms" between parties. (p. 328)
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The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It provides a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of one of the three main objectives of the CBD: the fair and equitable sharing of benefits that come from the use of genetic resources. By establishing more predictable conditions for access and ensuring benefit-sharing, the protocol creates incentives to conserve and sustainably use genetic resources. (p. 327-328)
The protocol outlines core obligations for its parties regarding access to genetic resources, benefit-sharing, and compliance. It also specifically addresses traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources, stipulating that parties must take measures to ensure the prior informed consent of indigenous and local communities and facilitate fair and equitable benefit-sharing with them. This enhances legal certainty and transparency for both providers and users of genetic resources. (p. 328)
All key facts
›The Nagoya Protocol is legally a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). (p. 327)
›Its main objective is the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources, contributing to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. (p. 327)
›Benefit-sharing is subject to "mutually agreed terms" between parties. (p. 328)
›Benefits are not exclusively monetary; they can be "monetary or non-monetary such as royalties and the sharing of research results." (p. 328)
›Utilization of genetic resources includes research and development on their genetic or biochemical composition, as well as subsequent applications and commercialization. (p. 328)
›Parties must take measures to ensure that genetic resources used in their jurisdiction were accessed in accordance with "prior informed consent" (PIC) as required by the providing party. (p. 328)
›The protocol addresses traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources and genetic resources where indigenous and local communities have the established right to grant access. (p. 328)
›Parties must take measures to monitor the utilization of genetic resources, including by designating effective "checkpoints" at any stage of the value-chain like research, development, or commercialization. (p. 328)
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