The UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide on December 9, 1948, opening it for signature, ratifi cation, or accession. The convention entered into force on January 12, 1951, in accordance with Article 13. As of summer 2006, there were 41 signatories and 138 parties [...]

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and Their Destruction is also known as the Ottawa Convention or the Landmines Treaty. The CONVENTION was opened for signature in Ottawa, Canada, on December 3, 1997. Under Article 15, the treaty remained open for signature until its entry into [...]

The basis for the right of return for refugees under international l aw is found in the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees(1951) and its protocol of 1967. The convention, adopted by the General Assembly on December 14, 1950, was subsequently adopted by the UN Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Status of Refugees and [...]

In June 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED or the Earth Summit) recommended the establishment of an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Desertifi cation (INCD), which drafted the Convention to Combat Desertifi cation in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertifi cation, Particularly in Africa. The committee approved the convention on June [...]

Article 71 of the UN Charter allows the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to “make suitable arrangements for consultation with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which are concerned with matters within its competence.” Under this authority, as of mid-2006, over 2,700 NGOs had been admitted to consultative status with ECOSOC and an additional 400 to the same [...]

In the language of international affairs, convention is a term for an international agreement, bilateral or multilateral. Conventions may be open or closed for other states that have not participated in their preparation. There are several examples of conventions negotiated under the auspices of some entity in the United Nations System, such as the Convention [...]

The UN Convention against Torture, which was adopted and opened for signature, ratifi cation, or accession by the General Assembly on December 10, 1984, codifi ed the process of combating the practice of torture. The convention entered into force on June 26, 1987, after the 20th instrument of ratifi cation was deposited with the Secretariat [...]

Known as the Bonn Convention, or by its shortened title of Convention on Migratory Species, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals entered into force on November 1, 1983. As of 2006 membership was 98 nation-states from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Three of the largest nations [...]

During the United Nations Decade for Women(1976 to 1985), the United Nations recognized women as important players in society. To endorse that view, the members of the Human Rights Commission promoted a broad convention on the rights of women. In 1979 the General Assembly passed the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms [...]

In July of 1954, the Convention on the Political Rights of Women entered into force. Considered at the time as a landmark effort in the push for political equality, the convention called for member states to allow women to vote and to hold public offi ce on equal terms with men and without any discrimination. [...]