Participation of the Republic of Armenia in International Environmental Conventions

1. Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitant
2. UN Convention on Biological Diversity
3. UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
4. UNECE Convention on Long-Range Trans-boundary Air Pollution
5. UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context
6. UNECE Convention on Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents
7. UN Convention on Combat Desertification
8. UN Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
9. Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
10. UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters
11. Convention on the prior informed consent procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade
12. UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes
13. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
14. Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques
15. Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage
16. European Landscape Convention
17. International Convention on Plant Protection
18. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
19. Convention  on the Conservation of  Migratory Species of  Wild  Animals
20. Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats

TOP Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitant (Ramsar, 1971)

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. As of January 24, 2011 there are 160 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1911 wetland sites, totaling 186,950,196 hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. 

Ratified by the National Assembly of RA in 1993.

National Focal Point
Mr. Karen Jenderedjian
Head of Animal Resources Management Division
Agency on Biological Resources
Biodiversity Conservation
Ministry of Nature Protection of RA
Tel.: (+37410) 527952
Email: jenderedjian@mnp.am

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UN Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio de Janeiro, 1992)

At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, world leaders agreed on a comprehensive strategy for "sustainable development" - meeting our needs while ensuring that we leave a healthy and viable world for future generations. One of the key agreements adopted at Rio was the Convention on Biodiversity.

The Convention on Biodiversity is the recognition of international community of importance to follow the principles of sustainable development. The main objective of Convention is biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of biodiversity components, joint utilization of genetic resources, including free access to genetic resources and technologies, providing of necessary funding.

Signed in 1992
Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 31 March 1993

National Focal Point
Dr. Tatyana Danielyan
Head of Biodiversity Policy Division
Ministry of Nature Protection of RA
Tel.: (+37410) 585326
Fax: (+37410) 585469
Email: tatyana_danielyan@yahoo.com, mailto:tatyandan@freenet.am

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 15 March 2004

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UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (New York, 1992)

The Convention on Climate Change sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change. It recognizes that the climate system is a shared resource whose stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The Convention enjoys near universal membership, with 191 countries having ratified.

Under the Convention, governments:

• gather and share information on greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and best practices
• launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to expected impacts, including the provision of financial and technological support to developing countries
• cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of climate change

The Convention entered into force on 21 March 1994.

Signed in 1992
Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 29 March 1993

UNFCCC National Focal Point
Mr. Aram Gabrielayn
Tel.: (+37410) 583932
Fax: (+37410) 583933
Email: mailto:aram@nature.am

Kyoto Protoco (Kyoto, 1997)
Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 27 December 2002

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UNECE Convention on Long-Range Trans-boundary Air Pollution (Geneva, 1979)

The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution is one of the central means for protecting our environment. It has, over the years, served as a bridge between different political systems and as a factor of stability in years of political change. It has substantially contributed to the development of international environmental law and has created the essential framework for controlling and reducing the damage to human health and the environment caused by transboundary air pollution. It is a successful example of what can be achieved through intergovernmental cooperation.

The history of the Convention can be traced back to the 1960s, when scientists demonstrated the interrelationship between sulphur emissions in continental Europe and the acidification of Scandinavian lakes. The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm signalled the start for active international cooperation to combat acidification. Between 1972 and 1977 several studies confirmed the hypothesis that air pollutants could travel several thousands of kilometres before deposition and damage occurred. This also implied that cooperation at the international level was necessary to solve problems such as acidification.

In response to these acute problems, a High-level Meeting within the Framework of the ECE on the Protection of the Environment was held at ministerial level in November 1979 in Geneva. It resulted in the signature of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution by 34 Governments and the European Community (EC). The Convention was the first international legally binding instrument to deal with problems of air pollution on a broad regional basis. Besides laying down the general principles of international cooperation for air pollution abatement, the Convention sets up an institutional framework bringing together research and policy.

The Convention entered into force in 1983. It has been extended by eight specific protocols.

Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 21 February 1997

National Focal Point
Ms. Angela Turlikyan
Senior Specialist
Atmospheric Air Policy Division
Ministry of Nature Protection of RA
Tel.: (+37410) 583934
Tel.: (+37410) 583933
Email: turlikyan@nature.am

Protocol on Heavy Metals
Signed on 18 December 1998
Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants
Signed on 18 December 1998
Protocol on Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and ground-level Ozone Formation
Signed on 1 December 1999

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UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo, 1991)

The Espoo (EIA) Convention sets out the obligations of Parties to assess the environmental impact of certain activities at an early stage of planning. It also lays down the general obligation of States to notify and consult each other on all major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across boundaries.

The Convention was adopted in 1991 and entered into force on 10 September 1997.

Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 14 May 1993

National Focal Point
Ms. Eleionora Grigoryan
Counselor to the Minister
Ministry of Nature Protection of RA
Tel.: (+37410) 585349
Tel.: (+37410) 583933
Email: grigoryan@mnp.am

Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (Kiev, 2003)
Signed on 21 May 2003

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UNECE Convention on Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (Helsinki, 1992)

The 1992 Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents is designed at protecting human beings and the environment against industrial accidents by preventing them as far as possible, by reducing their frequency and severity and by mitigating their effects. It promotes active international cooperation between the contracting Parties, before, during and after an industrial accident.

The aim of the Convention is to help its Parties to prevent industrial accidents that can have transboundary effects, to prepare for them and to respond to them. The Convention also encourages its Parties to help each other in the event of such an accident, to cooperate on research and development, and to share information and technology. The Convention was adopted in Helsinki on 17 March 1992 and entered into force on 19 April 2000.

Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 14 May 1993

National Focal Point
Ms. Anahit Aleksandryan
Head of Division of Hazardous Substances and Waste Policy
Ministry of Nature Protection of RA
Tel.: (+37410) 585326, 588838
Fax: (+37410) 585469
Email: haz@mnp.am , analeks@freenet.am

Protocol on Civil Liability and Compensation for Damage Caused by the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents on Transboundary Waters (Kiev, 2003)
Signed on 14 December 1998

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UN Convention on Combat Desertification (Paris, 1994)

The international community has long recognized that desertification is a major economic, social and environmental problem of concern to many countries in all regions of the world. In 1977, the United Nations Conference on Desertification (UNCOD) adopted a Plan of Action to Combat Desertification (POCD). Despite this and other efforts, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) concluded in 1991 that the problem of land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas had intensified, although there were "local examples of success".

Signed in 1994
Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 23 June 1997

National Focal Point
Mr. Ashot Vardevanyan
Deputy Head
Agency on Biological Resources
Ministry of Nature Protection of RA
Tel.: +(37410) 580610
Fax: (+37410) 585469
Email: ashot_v@mail.ru

UNCCD 1st  National Communication_eng

UNCCD 2nd National Communication_eng

UNCCD 3rd National Communication_eng

UNCCD 4th National Communication_eng

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UN Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (Basel, 1989)

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal is the most comprehensive global environmental agreement on hazardous and other wastes. The Convention has 170 Parties and aims to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects resulting from the generation, management, transboundary movements and disposal of hazardous and other wastes. The Basel Convention came into force in 1992.

Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 26 March 1999

National Focal Point
Ms. Anahit Aleksandryan
Head of Division of Hazardous Substances and Waste Policy
Ministry of Nature Protection of RA
Tel.: (+37410) 585326, 588838
Fax: (+37410) 585469
Email: mailto:haz@mnp.am, mailto:analeks@freenet.am

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Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (Vienna, 1985)

In 1985, nations agreed in Vienna to take "appropriate measures...to protect human health and the environment against adverse effects resulting or likely to result from human activities which modify or are likely to modify the Ozone Layer", thus the Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was born.

The main thrust of the Convention was to encourage research and overall cooperation among countries and exchange of information. Even so it took four years to prepare and agree. Twenty nations signed it in Vienna, but most did not rush to ratify it. The Convention provided for future protocols and specified procedures for Amendment and dispute settlement.

The Vienna Convention set an important precedent. For the first time nations agreed in principle to tackle a global environmental problem before its effects were felt, or even scientifically proven.

As the experts began to explore for specific measures to be taken, the journal 'Nature' published a paper in May 1985 by British scientists - led by Dr. Joe Farman - about severe ozone depletion in the Antarctic. The paper's findings were confirmed by American satellite observations and offered the first proof of severe ozone depletion and making the need for definite measures more urgent. As a result, In September 1987, agreement was reached on specific measures to be taken and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed.

Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 28 April 1999

National Focal Point
Ms. Asya Muradyan
Senior Specialist
Atmospheric Air Policy Division
Ministry of Nature Protection of RA
Tel.: (+37410) 541182
Fax: (+37410) 583933
Email: asozon@nature.am

Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal, 1987)
Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 28 April 1999
London amendments to the Montreal protocol
Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 22 October 2003
Copenhagen amendments to the Montreal protocol
Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 22 October 2003

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UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus, 1998)

The UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters was adopted on 25th June 1998 in the Danish city of Aarhus at the Fourth Ministerial Conference in the 'Environment for Europe' process.

The Aarhus Convention is a new kind of environmental agreement. It links environmental rights and human rights. It. acknowledges that we owe an obligation to future generations.

It establishes that sustainable development can be achieved only through the involvement of all stakeholders.

It links government accountability and environmental protection. It focuses on interactions between the public and public authorities in a democratic context and it is forging a new process for public participation in the negotiation and implementation of international agreements.

The subject of the Aarhus Convention goes to the heart of the relationship between people and governments. The Convention is not only an environmental agreement; it is also a Convention about government accountability, transparency and responsiveness.

The Aarhus Convention grants the public rights and imposes on Parties and public authorities' obligations regarding access to information and public participation and access to justice.
Signed in 1998

Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 14 May 2001

National Focal Point
Ms. Aida Iskoyan
NGO "Environmental Public Advocacy Centre"
President
Tel.: (+37410) 539255, 42 00 21
Fax: (+37410) 530669
E-mail: epac@arminco.com

The Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (Kiev, 2003)
Signed on 21 May 2003

Aarhus Armenia

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Convention on the prior informed consent procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade (Rotterdam, 1998)

The text of the Convention was adopted on 10 September 1998 by a Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The Convention entered into force on 24 February 2004.

The objectives of the Convention are:

• to promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among Parties in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from potential harm;
• to contribute to the environmentally sound use of those hazardous chemicals, by facilitating information exchange about their characteristics, by providing for a national decision-making process on their import and export and by disseminating these decisions to Parties.

The Convention creates legally binding obligations for the implementation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure. It built on the voluntary PIC procedure, initiated by UNEP and FAO in 1989 and ceased on 24 February 2006

Signed in 1998
Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 22 October 2003

National Focal Point
Ms. Anahit Aleksandryan
Head of Division of Hazardous Substances and Waste Policy
Ministry of Nature Protection of RA
Tel.: (+37410) 585326, 588838
Fax: (+37410) 585469
Email: haz@mnp.am , mailto:analeks@freenet.am

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UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Helsinki, 1992)

The Convention of the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) is intended to strengthen national measures for the protection and ecologically sound management of transboundary surface waters and groundwaters.

The Convention obliges Parties to prevent, control and reduce water pollution from point and non-point sources.
The Convention also includes provisions for monitoring, research and development, consultations, warning and alarm systems, mutual assistance, institutional arrangements, and the exchange and protection of information, as well as public access to information.

National Focal Point
Ms. Svetlana Vardanyan
Deputy Head of Water Resources Management Agency
Ministry of Nature Protection of RA
Tel.: (+37410) 585326, 540974
Fax: (+37410) 585469
Email: svardanyan@yandex.ru

Protocol on Water and Health (London, 1999)
Signed on 17 June 1999

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Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (Stockholm, 2001)

The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs). 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. In implementing the Convention, Governments will take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment.

Signed on 23 May 2001
Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 22 October 2003

National Focal Point
Ms. Anahit Aleksandryan
Head of Division of Hazardous Substances and Waste Policy
Ministry of Nature Protection of RA
Tel.: (+37410) 585326, 588838
Fax: (+37410) 585469
Email: haz@mnp.am , analeks@freenet.am

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Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (Geneva, 1976)

The Convention defines environmental modification techniques as changing -- through the deliberate manipulation of natural processes -- the dynamics, composition or structure of the earth, including its biota, lithosphere, hydro-sphere, and atmosphere, or of outer space. Changes in weather or climate patterns, in ocean currents, or in the state of the ozone layer or ionosphere, or an upset in the ecological balance of a region are some of the effects which might result from the use of environmental modification techniques.

Article I sets forth the basic commitment: "Each State Party to this Convention undertakes not to engage in military or any other hostile use of environmental modification techniques having widespread, long-lasting or severe effects as the means of destruction, damage or injury to any other State Party." An understanding defines the terms "widespread, long-lasting or severe." "Widespread" is defined as "encompassing an area on the scale of several hundred square kilometers"; "long-lasting" is defined as "lasting for a period of months, or approximately a season"; and "severe" is defined as "involving serious or significant disruption or harm to human life, natural and economic resources or other assets."

During the 1976 fall session, the U.N. General Assembly held extensive debate on the draft Convention, including several resolutions relating thereto. On December 10, the General Assembly adopted a resolution by a vote of 96 to 8, with 30 abstentions, which referred the Convention to all member nations for their consideration, signature, and ratification, and requested the U.N. Secretary-General to open the Convention for signature.

The U.N. Secretary-General officiated at the signing ceremony in Geneva on May 18. The United States joined 33 other nations in signing the Convention. The Convention entered into force on October 5, 1978.
(Derived from US Department of State's website)

Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 4 December 2001

National Focal Point
Ms. Larisa Kharatova
Senior Specialist
International Agreements and Policy Division
Ministry of Nature Protection of RA
Tel.: (+37410) 585349
Fax: (+37410) 585469
E-mail: interdpt@rambler.ru, lararsh@rambler.ru

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Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (Paris, 1972)

The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (the World Heritage Convention) was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO in 1972. To date, more than 170 countries have adhered to the Convention.

The Convention aims to encourage the identification, protection, and preservation of earth's cultural and natural heritage. It recognizes that nature and culture are complementary and that cultural identity is strongly related to the natural environment in which it develops.

The Convention provides for the protection of those cultural and natural 'properties' deemed to be of greatest value to humanity. It is not intended to protect all properties of great interest, importance or value, but rather a select list of the most outstanding of these from an international viewpoint.

Ratified by the National Assembly of RA in 1993

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European Landscape Convention (Florence)

The aims of the convention are to promote European landscape protection, management and planning, and to organize European co-operation on landscape issues.

This means ensuring the protection, management and planning of European landscapes through the adoption of national measures and the establishment of European co-operation between the Parties.

Signed on 14 May 2003
Ratified by the National Assembly of RA on 23 March 2004

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International Convention on Plant Protection (1952)

The IPPC is an international treaty (166 governments adhered) to secure action to prevent the spread and introduction of pests of plants and plant products, and to promote appropriate measures for their control. It is governed by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) which adopts International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs). The CPM has confirmed the IPP as the preferred forum for national IPPC reporting and the exchange of more general information among the phytosanitary community. The IPPC Secretariat coordinates the activities of the Convention and is provided by the FAO.

Convention came into force on 3 April 1952, upon ratification by three signatory governments. The Convention was registered with the Secretariat of the United Nations on 29 November 1952 under No. 1963.

Armenia adhered the convention on 9 June 2006.

National Focal Point
Mr. Garnik Petrosyan
Head of Crop Production, Forestry and Plant Protection Department
Ministry of Agriculture of RA
Tel.: (+37410) 523411
Fax: (+37410) 523793
Email: pppdep@yahoo.com

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Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) (Washington, 1973)

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its 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 was conceived in the spirit of such cooperation. Today, it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 30,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or dried herbs.

The text of the Convention, activities of its Secretariat, publications and other materials are available on the Convention's official web-site.

Armenia adhered the convention on 23 October 2008.

Convention  on the Conservation of  Migratory Species of  Wild  Animals (Bonn, 1979)

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or Bonn Convention) aims to conserve terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range. It is an intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, concerned with the conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale.

CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting enlisted animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them. Besides establishing obligations for each State joining the Convention, CMS promotes concerted action among the Range States of many of these species.

The text of the Convention, activities of its Secretariat, publications and other materials are available on the Convention's official web-site.

Armenia adhered the convention on 27 October 2010.

National Focal Point
Dr. Martiros Nalbandyan
Chief Specialist
Natural Special Protected Areas Division
Bioresources Management Agency
Ministry of Nature Protection
Tel:        (+374 10) 580699
Fax:       (+374 10) 585469
E-mail:  mnalbandyan@rambler.ru

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Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern, 1979)

The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) is a binding international legal instrument in the field of nature conservation, which covers most of the natural heritage of the European continent and extends to some States of Africa. Its aims are to conserve wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats and to promote European co-operation in that field.

The Convention places a particular importance on the need to protect endangered natural habitats and endangered vulnerable species, including migratory species.

The text of the Convention activities of its Secretariat, publications and other materials are available on the Convention's official web-site.

Armenia adhered the convention on 26 February 2008. More information on her participation in the activities per the Convention is available here.

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