4.3.3 Caspian Sea
In the Caspian Sea, concerns over threats to the sea’s environmental health lead to the
establishment of the Caspian Environment Programme (CEP) in 1999.
104 The activities under the CEP resulted in the signing of the Framework Convention for the
Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention) on
4 November 2003. Under the Tehran Convention, three protocols have been adopted:
the Protocol Concerning Regional Preparedness, Response and Co-operation in Combating Oil Pollution Incidents, adopted on 12 August 2011 and entered into force on
25 July 2016; the Protocol for the Protection of the Caspian Sea against Pollution from
Land-based Sources and Activities, adopted on 12 December 2012; and the Protocol
for the Conservation of Biological Diversity, adopted on 30 May 2014.
105
4.3.4 Europe
In Europe, four RECs should be noted for the purposes of this chapter. The
Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic
(OSPAR Convention) was concluded in 1992 by unifying, up-dating and extending
the 1972 Oslo Convention against dumping and the 1974 Paris Convention
concerning land-based sources of marine pollution and the offshore industry.
106
The OSPAR Commission was established by the OSPAR Convention and the new
annex on biodiversity and ecosystem was adopted in 1998 to cover non-polluting
human activities that can adversely affect the sea.
107 Work to implement the
Convention and its strategies is taken forward through the adoption of decisions,
which are legally binding on the State Parties, as well as recommendations and other
agreements.
108 OSPAR has also been very active in cooperating with other international organization, including IMO and the Abidjan Convention.
109
Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission—Helsinki Commission
(HELCOM) is the governing body of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine
Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention, 1992). The Helsinki
104 See https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/oceans-seas/what-we-do/working-regionalseas/regional-seas-programmes/caspian-sea. The text of the Convention is available at http://
www.tehranconvention.org/spip.php?article41.
105 See http://www.tehranconvention.org/spip.php?article41.
106 The text is available at https://www.ospar.org/site.assets/files/1290/ospar_convention_e_
updated_text _in _2007_no_revs.pdf.
107 See https://www.ospar.org/about.
108 All decisions, recommendations and agreements can be accessed at https://www.ospar.org/
convention/agreements.
109 OSPAR’s activities can be seen in the MoU Abidjan Convention Secretariat, the Agreement of
Cooperation with the IMO, and the MoU between the IMO and OSPAR on the promotion of the
London Convention and London Protocol. The texts are available from https://www.ospar.org/
about/international-cooperation.
2 Implementation of the Rules of the UNCLOS Through Universal and Regional. . .
29
In the Caspian Sea, concerns over threats to the sea’s environmental health lead to the
establishment of the Caspian Environment Programme (CEP) in 1999.
104 The activities under the CEP resulted in the signing of the Framework Convention for the
Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention) on
4 November 2003. Under the Tehran Convention, three protocols have been adopted:
the Protocol Concerning Regional Preparedness, Response and Co-operation in Combating Oil Pollution Incidents, adopted on 12 August 2011 and entered into force on
25 July 2016; the Protocol for the Protection of the Caspian Sea against Pollution from
Land-based Sources and Activities, adopted on 12 December 2012; and the Protocol
for the Conservation of Biological Diversity, adopted on 30 May 2014.
105
4.3.4 Europe
In Europe, four RECs should be noted for the purposes of this chapter. The
Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic
(OSPAR Convention) was concluded in 1992 by unifying, up-dating and extending
the 1972 Oslo Convention against dumping and the 1974 Paris Convention
concerning land-based sources of marine pollution and the offshore industry.
106
The OSPAR Commission was established by the OSPAR Convention and the new
annex on biodiversity and ecosystem was adopted in 1998 to cover non-polluting
human activities that can adversely affect the sea.
107 Work to implement the
Convention and its strategies is taken forward through the adoption of decisions,
which are legally binding on the State Parties, as well as recommendations and other
agreements.
108 OSPAR has also been very active in cooperating with other international organization, including IMO and the Abidjan Convention.
109
Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission—Helsinki Commission
(HELCOM) is the governing body of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine
Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention, 1992). The Helsinki
104 See https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/oceans-seas/what-we-do/working-regionalseas/regional-seas-programmes/caspian-sea. The text of the Convention is available at http://
www.tehranconvention.org/spip.php?article41.
105 See http://www.tehranconvention.org/spip.php?article41.
106 The text is available at https://www.ospar.org/site.assets/files/1290/ospar_convention_e_
updated_text _in _2007_no_revs.pdf.
107 See https://www.ospar.org/about.
108 All decisions, recommendations and agreements can be accessed at https://www.ospar.org/
convention/agreements.
109 OSPAR’s activities can be seen in the MoU Abidjan Convention Secretariat, the Agreement of
Cooperation with the IMO, and the MoU between the IMO and OSPAR on the promotion of the
London Convention and London Protocol. The texts are available from https://www.ospar.org/
about/international-cooperation.
2 Implementation of the Rules of the UNCLOS Through Universal and Regional. . .
29