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United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Official Name

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Signatories

Countries party to the Convention include:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African , Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Korea, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Dates

The Convention was first signed in Rio de Janeiro on 14 June 1992. The Convention came into force on 21 March 1994.

Languages

The Convention was written in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic.

This Convention was created in Rio de Janeiro during the Earth Summit in 1992. The treaty recognised the new threat of climate change and the effect greenhouse gases were having on the environment.

Key Points

The intention of this Convention is to stabilise the greenhouse gas levels that would permit global environments time to adapt to the change. The members of the Convention must aim to preserve the global climate so that it can be safe for future generations to live. Measures to prevent climate change should be done through international cooperation.

Members will promote sustainable development and encourage economic growth to allow for further social development and awareness of climate change. Members will also cooperate with each other to prepare for the long-term effects of climate change in certain areas, such as flooding in costal and low-lying areas.

Member governments will adopt policies that will limit the greenhouse emissions. Members will also aid developing countries in limiting greenhouse emissions. Governments will conduct and encourage research into limiting climate change and share scientific findings with other member governments.

When member states meet to discuss issues relating to the Convention, each country has one vote. The Convention was open to members of the United Nations.

Current Events concerning the Treaty

The members of the Convention meet annually to discuss new issues concerning the Convention. Since 1995 they have met in Berlin, Germany; Geneva, Switzerland; Kyoto, Japan; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Bonn, Germany; The Hague, Netherlands; Marrakech, Morocco; New Delhi, India; Milan, Italy; Montreal, Canada; Nairobi, Kenya; Bali, Indonesia; Poznan, Poland. The next meeting will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009.

Resources Used:

"UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE." UNFCCC. 15 Feb. 2009 <http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/conveng.pdf>.

"The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change." UNFCCC. 15 Feb. 2009 <http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/items/2627.php>.

"List of Annex I Parties to the Convention." UNFCCC. 16 Feb. 2009 <http://unfccc.int/parties_and_observers/parties/annex_i/items/2774.php>.

"COP1 – COP14 - COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009." Home - COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009. 14 Feb. 2009 <http://en.cop15.dk/climate+facts/process/cop1+%E2%80%93+cop14>.