United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS)
note - abbreviated as Law of the Sea
opened for signature - 10 December 1982
entered into force - 16 November 1994
objective - to set up a comprehensive new legal regime for the sea and oceans; to include rules concerning environmental standards as well as enforcement provisions dealing with pollution of the marine environment
parties - (135) Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Belize,
Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei,
Bulgaria, Burma, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Comoros,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote
d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominica,
Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia,
Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-
Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq,
Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait,
Laos, Lebanon, Luxembourg, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania,
Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia,
Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Nigeria,
Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,
Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and
Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri
Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and
Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen,
Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe
countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (35) Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada,
Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Republic of the Congo,
Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Hungary, Iran,
North Korea, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Madagascar,
Malawi, Morocco, Niger, Niue, Qatar, Rwanda, Swaziland, Switzerland,
Thailand, Tuvalu, UAE
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries
Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in
Africa
note - abbreviated as Desertification
opened for signature - 14 October 1994