Objectives: To adopt measures to prevent and eliminate pollution of the marine environment against all sources of pollution and the adverse effects of human activities upon it.
Summary of provisions: (a) Parties to take all possible steps to prevent and eliminate pollution and to take necessary measures to protect the maritime area against the adverse effect of effects of human activities so as to safeguard human health and to conserve marine ecosystems and, where practicable, restore marine areas which have been adversely affected; for the above purpose, Parties to adopt programme and measures for the prevention and elimination of pollution, with the time-limits for completion where appropriate, and taking into account the application of best available techniques and best environmental practice, and to harmonize their policies and strategies (art. 2(1), (3)); (b) Parties to apply, the precautionary principle and the polluters-pay principle (art. 2(2)); to apply the measures they adopt in such a way as to prevent an increase in pollution of the sea outside the maritime area or in other parts of the environment (art. 2 (2), (4)); (c) Parties to take all possible steps to prevent and eliminate pollution from land-based sources, dumping or incineration, and offshore sources (arts. 3-5); and to cooperate in dealing with pollution from other sources to be addressed in an additional annex to the Convention (art. 7); (d) Parties periodically to carry out and publish joint assessments of the quality of the marine environment and of its development, which include both an evaluation of the effectiveness of the measures taken and planned for the protection of the marine environment (art. 6); (e) Parties to establish complementary or joint programmes of scientific or technical research and to transmit information on such research programmes to the Commission (see below) (art. 8); (f) Parties to ensure that their competent authorities are required to make available to the public information on the state of the maritime area, on activities or measure adversely affecting or likely to affect it or on activities or measures introduced in accordance with the Convention (art. 9(1)(2)); (g) A Commission, made up of representatives of each of Parties established to, inter alia, supervise the implementation of the Convention and review and decide on relevant programme and institutional matters (art. 10); also, a permanent secretariat established (art. 12); (h) Requires concerned Parties to enter into consultations over instances of transboundary pollution with a view to negotiating a cooperation agreement, and for the Commission to consider the question and make recommendations at the request of a Party (art. 21); (i) Requires Parties to report regularly to the Commission on matters related to the implementation and compliance with the Convention (arts. 22 and 23); (j) Provides that the Convention, upon entry into force, shall replace the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft, 1972 (the Oslo Convention) and the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Land Based Sources, 1974 (the Paris Convention) (art. 31); (k) The annexes provide for specific requirements to the Parties in implementing the provisions of the Convention concerning the prevention and elimination of pollution from land-based sources, by dumping and incineration, and from offshore sources and in assessing the quality of the marine environment. In addition, there are two appendices setting out the criteria for the definition of best available techniques and best environmental practice, and the criteria for setting priorities and assessing the nature and extent of programmes and measures and their time scales with respect to the prevention and elimination of pollution from land-based sources and offshore sources.
(Source: UNEP Register of International Treaties and Other Agreements in the Field of the Environment, 2005)