Legal Terms Related to Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP)
CRIMINALS:
Dennis R. Spurgeon: Reckless Endangerment, Conspiracy Against Rights, Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States, Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence
Timothy A. Frazier: Reckless Endangerment, Conspiracy Against Rights, Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States, Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence
Tammy L. Way: Reckless Endangerment, Conspiracy Against Rights, Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States, Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence
Peter Maggiore: Reckless Endangerment, Conspiracy Against Rights, Assault, Conflict of Interest, Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States
Steve Creamer: Reckless Endangerment, Conspiracy Against Rights, Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States
Alan Dobson: Reckless Endangerment, Conspiracy Against Rights, Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States
Michael Marley: Reckless Endangerment, Conspiracy Against Rights, Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States
Larry Gandy: Reckless Endangerment, Conspiracy Against Rights, Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States
Dale Gandy: Reckless Endangerment, Conspiracy Against Rights, Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States
Senator Pete V. Domenici: Reckless Endangerment, Conspiracy Against Rights, Assault, Conflict of Interest, Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States, Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence
Representative Heather Wilson: Reckless Endangerment, Conspiracy Against Rights, Assault, Conflict of Interest, Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States, Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence
Representative Steve Pearce: Reckless Endangerment, Conspiracy Against Rights, Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States, Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence, potentially Conflict of Interest,
Reckless Endangerment:
...first-degree reckless endangerment pursuant to Penal Law § 120.25, which provides that a person violates the statute "when, under circumstances evincing a depraved indifference to human life, he recklessly engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of death to another person.
Source: http://www.law.cornell.edu/nyctap/I06_0097.htm
Conspiracy Against Rights:
If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States... - They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both...
Source: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/18/parts/i/chapters/13/sections/section_241.html
Assault:
An assault
is when someone intentionally attempts to inflict immediate injury
or offensive contact onto you and you suffer injury (physical or mental) as a
result. Although physical contact is not absolutely necessary to an assault, the
immediate threat of violent or offensive contact is required....there are
situations where threatening words coupled with other acts and/or circumstance
can amount to an assault.
Source: http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library....
Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud United States:
If two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
If, however, the offense, the commission of which is the object of the conspiracy, is a misdemeanor only, the punishment for such conspiracy shall not exceed the maximum punishment provided for such misdemeanor.
Source: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/18/parts/i/chapters/19/sections/section_371.html
Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence
(a) Whoever, with intent that another person engage in conduct constituting a felony that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against property or against the person of another in violation of the laws of the United States, and under circumstances strongly corroborative of that intent, solicits, commands, induces, or otherwise endeavors to persuade such other person to engage in such conduct, shall be imprisoned not more than one-half the maximum term of imprisonment or (notwithstanding section 3571) fined not more than one-half of the maximum fine prescribed for the punishment of the crime solicited, or both; or if the crime solicited is punishable by life imprisonment or death, shall be imprisoned for not more than twenty years.
(b) It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this section that, under circumstances manifesting a voluntary and complete renunciation of his criminal intent, the defendant prevented the commission of the crime solicited. A renunciation is not "voluntary and complete" if it is motivated in whole or in part by a decision to postpone the commission of the crime until another time or to substitute another victim or another but similar objective. If the defendant raises the affirmative defense at trial, the defendant has the burden of proving the defense by a preponderance of the evidence.
(c) It is not a defense to a prosecution under this section that the person solicited could not be convicted of the crime because he lacked the state of mind required for its commission, because he was incompetent or irresponsible, or because he is immune from prosecution or is not subject to prosecution.
source: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/18/parts/...
Prohibited transactions involving nuclear materialshttp://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/18/parts/i/chapters/39/sections/section_831.html
Criminal Street Gang:
"criminal street gang" means an
ongoing group, club, organization, or association of 5 or more persons - (A)
that has as 1 of its primary purposes the commission of 1 or more of the
criminal offenses described in subsection (c);
(B) the members of which engage, or have engaged within the past 5 years, in a
continuing series of offenses described in subsection (c); and
(C) the activities of which affect interstate or foreign commerce.
"State" means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.
b) Penalty. - The sentence of a person convicted of an offense described in subsection (c) shall be increased by up to 10 years if the offense is committed under the circumstances described in subsection (d).
c) Offenses. - The offenses described in this section are - (1) a Federal felony involving a controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)) for which the maximum penalty is not less than 5 years;
(1) a Federal felony involving a controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)) for which the maximum penalty is not less than 5 years;
(2) a Federal felony crime of violence that has as an element the use or attempted use of physical force against the person of another; and
3) a conspiracy to commit an offense described in paragraph (1) or (2).
(d) Circumstances. - The circumstances described in this section are that the offense described in subsection (c) was committed by a person who -
(1) participates in a criminal street gang with knowledge that its members engage in or have engaged in a continuing series of offenses described in subsection (c);
(2) intends to promote or further the felonious activities of the criminal street gang or maintain or increase his or her position in the gang; and
3) has been convicted within the
past 5 years for -
(A) an offense described in subsection (c);
(B) a State offense -
(i) involving a controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the
Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)) for which the maximum penalty is not
less than 5 years' imprisonment; or
(ii) that is a felony crime of violence that has as an element the use or
attempted use of physical force against the person of another;
C) any Federal or State felony offense that by its nature involves a substantial risk that physical force against the person of another may be used in the course of committing the offense; or
(D) a conspiracy to commit an offense described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C).
ALLIED-GENERAL NUCLEAR SERVICES, ET AL., PETITIONERS V. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Sector: Atomic Energy
Obligations Concerned: National Treatment (Article 10.3)
Level of Government: Central
Measures: Atomic Energy Act of 1954, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2011 et seq.
Description: Investment
A license issued by the United
States Nuclear Regulatory Commission is required for any person in the United
States to transfer or receive in interstate commerce, manufacture, produce,
transfer, use, import, or export any nuclear "utilization or production
facilities" for commercial or industrial purposes. Such a license may not
be issued to any entity known or believed to be owned, controlled, or dominated
by an alien, a foreign corporation, or a foreign government (42 U.S.C. §
2133(d)). A license issued by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission is
also required for nuclear "utilization and production facilities," for
use in medical therapy, or for research and development activities. The issuance
of such a license to any entity known or believed to be owned, controlled, or
dominated by an alien, a foreign corporation, or a foreign government is also
prohibited (42 U.S.C. § 2134(d)).
http://www.ustr.gov/assets/Trade_Agreements/Bilateral/Oman_FTA/Final_Text/asset_upload_file955_8830.pdf
I haven't been able to find anywhere that says that S. 1591 - Nuclear Safety and Promotion Act of 2001 was passed. But, if it did, it would amend 42 U.S.C. § 2133(d).
How much money did Voinovich and Inhofe receive from the nuclear industry to sponsor S.1591?
RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
THREAT
ENDANGERMENT
injunction or other relief whenever any source or combination of sources of air
pollution presents an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health,
public welfare, or the environment.
http://www.nasda-hq.org/nasda/nasda/Foundation/state/NewMexico.pdf
The court reaffirmed this public
endangerment requirement in Espinoza v. Town of Taos, 905 P.2d 718, 721
(N.M. 1995), a premises liability case, stating that the critical question in
the § 41-4-6 analysis is whether the condition complained of creates a
potential risk to the general public.
http://www.kscourts.org/ca10/cases/2006/05/05-2163.htm
Espinoza v. Town of Taos
1995 NMSC 73
905 P.2d 718
120 N.M. 680
Case Number: 22662
Decided: 10/23/1995
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO
http://wyomcases.courts.state.wy.us/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=223094
FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT
FRAUD
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
ABUSE OF POWER
INTERNATIONAL LAW
Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus, Denmark, 1998)
The Convention recognizes that adequate protection of the environment is essential to human well-being and the enjoyment of basic human rights, including the right to life itself. It aims to ensure the rights of citizens to full information on the environment in order to contribute to the protection of the right of every person of present and future generations to live in an environment adequate to his or her health and well-being. The Convention establishes that sustainable development can be achieved only through the involvement of all stakeholders in society, by linking government accountability and environmental protection. The Convention focuses on interactions between the civil society and public authorities and forges a new process for public participation and transparency in the negotiation and implementation of international agreements.
Mining and processing is specifically identified in Annex 1
Convention text (PDF): Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish
Website: [http://www.unece.org/env/pp/]
Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents
The Convention aims at protecting human beings and the environment against industrial accidents by preventing such accidents as far as possible, by reducing their frequency and severity and by mitigating their effects.
Convention text: English
Website: [http://www.unece.org/env/teia/]
Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes
The Convention of the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) is intended to strengthen national measures for the protection and ecologically sound management of transboundary surface waters and groundwaters.
The Convention obliges Parties to prevent, control and reduce water pollution from point and non-point sources.
The Convention also includes provisions for monitoring, research and development, consultations, warning and alarm systems, mutual assistance, institutional arrangements, and the exchange and protection of information, as well as public access to information.
Convention text (PDF): English | French | Russian
Website: [http://www.unece.org/env/water/]
New Legally Binding Instrument on Civil Liability for Transboundary Damage Caused by Hazardous Activities
At a joint special session held at Geneva on 2-3 July 2001, the Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes and the Parties to the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents decided that an intergovernmental negotiation process should be entered into aimed at adopting a legally binding instrument on civil liability for transboundary damage caused by hazardous activities.
An open-ended intergovernmental Working Group was established with a mandate to draw up the above mentioned legally binding instrument.
Website: [http://www.unece.org/env/civil-liability/]
Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
The Convention lays down the general principles of international cooperation for air pollution abatement, and provides an institutional framework linking science and policy.
The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution entered into force in 1983. It has been extended by eight specific protocols, of specific interest for the mining sector are the LRTAP Heavy Metals Protocol and the LRTAP Persistent Organic Pollutants Protocol.
Convention text (PDF): English
Heavy Metals Protocol (PDF): English | French
Persistent Organic Pollutants Protocol (PDF): English | French
Website: [http://www.unece.org/env/lrtap/]
Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context
The Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context stipulates the obligations of Parties to assess the environmental impact of certain activities at an early stage of planning. It also lays down the general obligation of States to notify and consult each other on all major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across boundaries.
Convention text (PDF): English
Website: [http://www.unece.org/env/eia/]
Hazardous Substances including Waste
Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent Procedures for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (PIC)
The objective of the Convention is to promote shared responsibility and cooperation among Parties in international trade of certain hazardous pesticides and chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from potential harm.
The Convention renders the monitoring and controlling of trade in dangerous substances more efficient and transparent. In addition, the Convention strengthens the ability of importing countries to decide which chemicals they wish to receive and to exclude those they cannot manage safely. If trade does take place, the Convention’s requirements for labelling and provision of information on potential health and environmental effects will promote the safe use of such chemicals.
Convention Text (PDF): English | French
Website: [http://www.pic.int]
The Basel Convention on the Control of Tranboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (Basel, 1989) and Amendment (Geneva, 1995)
The Basel Convention is in response to the problems caused by the annual worldwide production of hundreds of millions of tons of hazardous wastes. These wastes are hazardous to people and the environment because they are toxic, poisonous, explosive, corrosive, flammable, eco-toxic, or infectious.
The Convention strictly regulates the transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and obliges Parties to ensure that such wastes are managed and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.
Convention text (PDF): Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish
Amendment text (PDF): English
Related documents of interest: Draft technical guidelines on recycling/reclamation of metals and metal compounds (PDF)
Website: http://www.basel.int
Basel Protocol on Liability and Compensation for Damage Resulting from Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (Basel, 1999)
The objective of the Protocol is to provide for a comprehensive regime for liability as well as adequate and prompt compensation for damage resulting from the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and other wastes, including incidents occurring because of illegal traffic in those wastes.
Wild Animal Species and their Habitat
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention)
The Convention aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range.
Convention text (PDF): English | French | German | Spanish
Website: [http://www.wcmc.org.uk/cms/]
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar)
The Ramsar Convention provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
Convention text (PDF): English
Website: [http://www.ramsar.org]
Protected Areas
Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage - 1972. (World Heritage Treaty)
The Convention defines the kind of natural or cultural sites which can be considered for inscription on the World Heritage List, and sets out the duties of State Parties in identifying potential sites and their role in protecting and preserving them.
Convention text: Arabic | English | French | Russian | Spanish
Website: [http://whc.unesco.org/]
Documents outlining the relationship of mining and world heritage areas include:
Report of the technical workshop on "World Heritage and Mining" / Rapport de l’atelier technique "Patrimoine mondial et l'exploitation minière" (English PDF | Français PDF) - 24th extraordinary session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee, Switzerland, Doc. code: WHC.2000/CONF.203/INF.7, 21-23 September 2000. - The report features 10 principles agreed upon to underpin the relationship between mining and World Heritage interests.
Report of the twenty-fourth session of the World Heritage Committee / Rapport de la vingt-quatrième session du Comité du patrimoine mondial (English PDF | Français PDF) - 24th session of the Committee, Cairns, Australia, Doc code: WHC.2000/CONF.204/21, 27 November - 2 December 2000. - Of specific interest is Annex 15: Recommendations of the Technical Workshop on World Heritage and Mining, held at IUCN Headquarters (Gland, Switzerland), 21-23 September 2000.
Oceans, Seas and Water
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order for the world's oceans and seas, establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and seas and their resources. It enshrines the notion that all problems of ocean space are closely interrelated and need to be addressed as a whole.
Convention text (PDF): English | French
Website: [http://www.un.org/Depts/los/]
Agreement relating to the
implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
(New York, 28 July 1994)
The Agreement relating to the implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is intended to address certain difficulties with the seabed mining provisions contained in Part XI of the Convention, that had been raised, primarily by the industrialized countries.
International Seabed Authority
The International Seabed Authority is the organization through which parties to the Convention on the Law of the Sea organize and control activities, including mining, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction particularly with regard to the administering of resources. Mineral resources within 200 miles of the coastline are generally under the exclusive control of the coastal state. Outside this areas are to be treated as global commons with the benefits of mining and other activities to be shared amongst all nations.
Website: [http://www.isa.org.jm/]
Documents:
The following documents are available:
Regulations on Prospecting and Exploration for
Polymetallic Nodules in the Area (PDF) - 2000.Considerations relating to the regulations for prospecting and exploration for hydrothermal polymetallic sulphides and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts in the Area (PDF) - 2001. A brief summary of discussions on a possible regime for prospecting and exploration for polymetallic sulphides and cobalt crusts.
A variety of documents and publications are only available for order from the Authority's website, including:
The Development of the Regime for Deep Seabed Mining
Deep Seabed Polymetallic Nodule Exploration: Development of Environmental Guidelines - Proceedings of the International Seabed Authority's Workshop held in Sanya, Hainan Island, People's Republic of China, 1-5 June 1998.
Proposed Technologies for Deep Seabed Mining of Polymetallic Nodules - Proceedings of the International Seabed Authority's Workshop, Kingston, Jamaica, August 3-6, 1999.
Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Sources
The Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Sources (GPA) is designed to be a source of conceptual and practical guidance to be drawn upon by national and/or regional authorities for devising and implementing sustained action to prevent, reduce, control and/or eliminate marine degradation from land-based activities. This is to be accomplished by facilitating the duty of States to preserve and protect the marine environment.
The GPA and the Washington Declaration were adopted in 1995 and 108 governments and the European Commission have declared their commitment.
GPA Text (PDF): English
Washington Declaration text (PDF): English
Website: [http://www.gpa.unep.org/]
Regional Seas Treaties Programme
The Regional Seas Programme is developing the Convention on the Law of the Sea through 14 regional conventions protecting seas from pollution, including the South Pacific, Mediterranean, Baltic, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Caribbean, and East African Ocean. As of January 2000 there were 17 regional programmes in existence.
The treaties are likely to affect regulation relating to mining pollution in river systems that drain into these regional seas.
Website: [http://www.unep.ch/seas/index.html]
Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention)
The London Convention promotes control of all sources of marine pollution and prevents pollution of the sea through regulation of dumping into the sea of waste materials. The full text of the convention:
Convention text (MS Word): English
Website: http://www.londonconvention.org
Paris Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Land-Based Sources (1974)
Applies to parts of the North Sea, Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean.
Convention text (PDF): English
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been established to investigate and prosecute individuals accused of crimes against humanity, genocide, and crimes of war. The ICC complements existing national judicial systems and will intervene only if national courts are unwilling or unable to investigate or prosecute such crimes. The ICC will also assist defend the rights of those, such as women and children, who have often had little recourse to justice.
Website: [http://www.un.org/law/icc/]
Below may or may not be related:
The Bamako Convention on the Ban of the Import Into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes Within Africa (Bamako Convention, 1991)
The Bamako Convention (1991) adopted under the auspices of the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) prohibited all hazardous waste imports into Africa.
Convention text (PDF): English
Website: http://www.londonconvention.org/Bamako.htm
Lomé Convention for exports from EU countries to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (1989)
The Lome IV Agreement, adopted in 1989, prohibited all hazardous waste imports for any reason whether final disposal or recycling into the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries made up of the former European colonies.
Website: [http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/cotonou/index_en.htm]
Waigani Treaty for Waste Imports into the South Pacific (1995)
The Waigani Treaty for the South Pacific region prohibited all imports of hazardous waste into Small Island developing States, from other States.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
The objective of this Convention is to achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a timeframe sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened, to avoid adverse health effects and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
Convention text (PDF): Arabic |English | French | Russian | Spanish
Website: [http://unfccc.int]
Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC
The Kyoto Protocol has the same ultimate objective as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is the stabilization of atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
The Kyoto Protocol supplements and strengthens the Climate Change Convention. The text of the Protocol was adopted at the third session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997.
Kyoto Protocol text (PDF): Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol) and the Vienna Convention
The Montreal Protocol promotes the reduction and phase-out of the production and consumption of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, solvents, methyl bromide, HBFCs, and HCFCs that have the potential to deplete the ozone layer.
Montreal Protocol text: English (PDF) | French (PDF) | Russia (MS Word) | Spanish (MS Word)
London Amendment text: English (PDF)
Copenhagen Amendment text: English (PDF)
Montreal Amendment text: English (PDF)
Beijing Amendment text: English (PDF)
Vienna Convention text (PDF): English | French | Spanish
Website: http://www.unep.org/ozone/index.shtml
UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
The convention is implemented through action programmes addressing the underlying causes of desertification and drought.
Convention text (PDF): Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish
Convention Annex 5 text (PDF): Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish
Website: [http://www.unccd.int]
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
The Convention promotes the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity, and the sharing the benefits arising from the commercial and other utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way.
Convention text (PDF): Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish
Website: [http://www.biodiv.org]
The primary purpose of the Antarctic Treaty is to ensure "...in the
interests of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue forever to be used
exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of
international discord.". The Treaty applies to the area south of 60° South
Latitude, including all ice shelves and islands.
The Treaty is augmented by recommendations adopted at consultative meetings, the
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (Madrid 1991), and
two conventions dealing with the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (London 1972)
and the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
(Canberra 1980).
An additional convention, the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (Wellington 1988), negotiated between 1982 and 1988, will not enter into force.
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) [http://www.scar.org/]- A committee of the ICSU, the International Council for Science, charged with the initiation, promotion and co-ordination of scientific research in Antarctica. SCAR also provides international, independent scientific advice to the Antarctic Treaty system.
Antarctic Treaty text (PDF): English
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (1991) text (PDF): English
There is no official Antarctic Treaty website. Information on the Treaty and related Conventions and Protocols is available from a variety of signatory governments, for example the British Antarctic Survey website: [http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/About_Antarctica/Treaty/index.html]
Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
The Convention was established in response to concerns that increasing krill catches in the Southern Ocean could have a serious effect on the populations of krill and other marine life, such as birds, seals and fish, who depend on krill as a source of food. The aim of the Convention is to conserve marine life of the Southern Ocean, though it does not exclude harvesting carried out in a rational manner.
Convention text (PDF): English
Website: [http://www.ccamlr.org/]
Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities
The Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (Wellington 1988), negotiated between 1982 and 1988, will not enter into force. The treaty would have set up a commission consisting of the Consultative Parties with power to designate approved mining areas, grant permits, and regulate operations in a similar fashion to the International Seabed Authority. See aslo the Antarctic Treaty.
Convention text (PDF): English
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS)
The Stockholm Convention is intended to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and are toxic to humans and wildlife.
Convention Text (PDF): Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish
Website: [http://www.pops.int]
Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (1967)
No explicit mention of mining activities is made in the treaty.
Treaty text (PDF): English
Website: [http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/SpaceLaw/]
Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (the Moon Treaty) (1979)
Contains provision in Article 11(5) for the future creation of an international regime '...to govern the exploitation of the natural resources of the moon as such exploitation is about to become feasible'.
Agreement text (PDF): Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish
Website: [http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/SpaceLaw/]
World Trade Organization (WTO)
The World Trade Organization (WTO) deals with the rules of trade between nations. The organizations mandate is governed by the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the majority of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal of the organization is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business.
A partial listing of the WTO Agreement and its Annexes is provided below. For the complete text please visit the WTO website.
Agreement text - partial listing (English PDF):
Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization
Annex 1A - Multilateral Agreements on Trade in Goods
GATT 1994
Technical Barriers to Trade
Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs)
Anti-dumping (Article VI of GATT 1994)
Customs valuation (Article VII of GATT 1994)
Subsidies and Countervailing MeasuresAnnex 1B - General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
Annex 1C - Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
Uruguay Round ministerial decisions and declarations
Decisions adopted by the Trade Negotiations Committee on 15 December 1993 and 14 April 1994Measures in favour of least-developed countries
Decision on Trade and EnvironmentGuide to the Uruguay Round Agreements: Part Five - Developing countries in the WTO system
Website: [http://www.wto.org/]
WTO Doha Declaration
The November 2001 declaration of the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Doha, Qatar, provides the mandate for negotiations on a range of subjects and other work, including issues concerning the implementation of the present agreements.
Declaration text (PDF): English
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has been established to settle
disputes between States and provide advisory opinions on legal questions
referred to it by International organs and agencies. The Court decides in
accordance with international treaties and conventions in force, international
custom, the general principles of law and, as subsidiary means, judicial
decisions and the teachings of the most highly qualified publicists.
Website: [http://www.icj-cij.org/]