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Global environmental politics (GEP) hub >
Contents below:
· UN system databases
· Other databases
· Older & defunct databases
Also see GEP Research guides & publications for help on searching for MEAs
UN system databases
ECOLEX: A Gateway to Environmental Law
· "...an information service on environmental law, operated jointly by FAO, IUCN and UNEP. Its
purpose is to build capacity worldwide by providing the most comprehensive possible global
source of information on environmental law...includes information on treaties, international
soft-law and other non-binding policy and technical guidance documents, national legislation,
judicial decisions, and law and policy literature.”
· "...a comprehensive and up-to-date legislative and policy database, one of the world's largest
online repositories of national laws, regulations and policies on food, agriculture and natural
resources management. Users of FAOLEX have direct access to the abstracts and indexing
information about each text, as well as to the full text of the legislation and policies contained
in the database.”
InforMEA: UN Information Portal on MEAs
· This link is to a search function for convention titles, but there are several other ways to search this
database (which includes nearly all international agreements post-1945).
Other databases
Environmental Conventions Index (ECI)
· "...an overview of global efforts to meet four environmental agreements (Basel, CITES, Stockholm,
and Ramsar).”
International Environmental Agreements Database Project
· “...the most comprehensive, reliable and detailed repository of IEAs. Initiated in 2002 by prof.
Ronald Mitchell (University of Oregon) and now maintained at Université Laval, it is widely used
by policy-makers and researchers around the world.”
Older & defunct databases
Environmental Treaties & Resource Indicators (ENTRI)
· Decommissioned; see here for context.
Fletcher School Multilaterals Project
· Archived; see here for context.
Info repository: Multilateral Environmental Agreements
· Has not been updated in a long time.
· "Issue based modules for coherent implementation of biodiversity related conventions"
What's the difference between ratification & accession, approval & adoption? See the UN's glossary of terms relating to treaty actions
Multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), conventions & treaties
Where to start?
There are pros and cons for
each of the databases
listed on this page.
Though not a recommendation on which one is "best," a very helpful place to start is with the
IEA Database Project:
Note: from the main page,
click on Agreements in the topline-menu to get to
the search function.
