Multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) are international treaties that aim to protect the environment through cooperation between countries. MEAs address major issues like biodiversity, climate change, pollution, and land degradation. Key MEAs were established after the 1972 Stockholm Conference and 1992 Rio Earth Summit to integrate environmental protection with development. MEAs are implemented through national laws and policies to change behaviors contributing to environmental problems. Pakistan has ratified several major MEAs and is working to better educate the public and coordinate implementing agencies to meet its international commitments.

1. Multilateral Environmental
agreements

2. Presented by
Kiran shehzadi
Fareeha sajjad
Aima shehbaz
Mehrunisa
Hafiz Waqas
Ramsha Asif

3. Scheme of presentation
• Brief Introduction of MEA’s
• History of MEA’s
• Milestones of MEA’s
• Objectives of MEA’s
• Main clusters- Scope of MEA’s
• Implementation of MEA’s
• MEA’s ratified by Pakistan
• Conclusion

4. What are Multilateral Environmental Agreements? (MEAs)
• They have a goal of environmental protection (sustainable development);
• They take measures to remedy, mitigate or otherwise deal with global
and/or regional environmental concerns;
• The best known MEA are those that deals with global problems,

5. • They are governed by international law;
• They are concluded in written form.

6. Objectives of MEAs
• To Protecting Public Health and the Environment
• To ensure global sustainability
• Solidarity
• Financial Assistance
• Confining Environmental Problems

7. History Of MEAs
• Sweden first suggested to ECOSOC in 1968 the idea
of having a UN conference to focus on human
interactions with the environment
• ECOSOC passed resolution 1346 supporting the idea.

8. 8
Milestones in the evolution of MEAs
• Stockholm Conference on the Human Development
(1972):
– first attempt to address inter-relationships of environment and
development at global level
– established the United National Environmental Program (UNEP)
– accelerated development of modern MEAs: more than 60% of
existing MEAs are adopted after Rio
• The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED):
– national and international policies redirected towards integration
of environmental, economic and development objectives
– Agenda 21 and Rio Declaration adopted

9. ATMOSPHERESEAS
CHEMICALS & HAZARDOUS
WASTE
LAND
MAIN CLUSTERS
Scope of MEAs: 5 topics
BIODIVERSITY

10. MAIN CLUSTERS
Biodiversity / Land / Seas
MEAs related to protection and conservation of BIODIVERSITY.
MEAs focusing on protecting LAND from “negative altering”.
MEAs relevant to the regional seas & MARINE ENVIRONMENT.
 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD);
 Others include CITES, CMS, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands etc.
 UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD);
3 Rio Conventions linked to climate change and biodiversity.
17 Regional Seas Conventions;
 Global Program of Action for the protection of the marine environment
from land-based activities (GPA).

11. MAIN CLUSTERS
Atmosphere / Wastes & chemicals
MEAs aimed at protection of the ATMOSPHERE from pollutants.
 Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer;
UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) and the linked
Kyoto Protocol.
MEAs dealing with hazardous WASTES & CHEMICAL pollution.
 Basel Convention on the control of trans boundary movement of
hazardous wastes and their disposal;
 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).

12. Implementation of MEAs
• Governments and regional organizations have
taken on a series of international commitments by signing and
ratifying MEAs.
• Efforts need to be made to apply these norms and to employ
practices that result in environmental improvements
• All MEAs differ in scope and substance. Nevertheless, they tend to
be formulated through a similar process that moves through five
distinct stages

13. How an MEA Enters into Force
Pre-negotiation
Negotiation
Adoption and signature
Ratification and accession
Entry into force

14. How MEAs works
• Implementation of an MEA
– a process of converting international commitments
and requirements into national law and policy in order
to induce behavioral change of target groups, i.e.
those actors causing the problem in question.
• Compliance
– refers to whether the countries adhere to the
agreement provisions and undertake implementation
measures, including procedural measures (e.g.
national reporting)
• Effectiveness
– whether a MEAs resolved a problem that caused its
creation.

15. List of International Environment
Conventions/Protocols Signed and
Ratified by Pakistan

18. Conclusion:
• MEA’s helps to address the
environmental problems being faced by
the international community
• MEA’s helps to facilitate achieving
sustainable development.
• Many MEA’s ( CBD, UNFCCC, UNCCD)
covers environmental aspects (
biodiversity, climate change and land
management) to ensure the protection of
environment in sustainable way.

19. Cont ..
Pakistan is also giving
greater emphasis on
implementing MEA’s by:
 Educating general
public
 Coordinating with
implementing agencies
International partnership