10 more countries sign, ratify global accords on 2nd day of UN treaty event

The leaders and foreign ministers of 10 countries today signed or undertook legally binding treaty actions as part of an event held on the fringes of the high-level debate in the United Nations General Assembly.

On the second day of the UN treaty event focusing on multilateral conventions related to terrorism, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Honduras, Mali, Malta, Mauritius and Mozambique either signed or deposited their instruments of ratification for 14 multilateral treaties.

According to the UN Office of Legal Affairs, which is overseeing the event, the most popular treaty has been the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, which received nine signatures and one ratification today, bringing the total participation level to 86 signatories and 9 parties. The Convention enters into force the day after the deposit of the 22nd instrument of ratification.

Actions were also undertaken with regard to the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, the International Convention Against the Taking of Hostages, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected persons, including Diplomatic Agents, the UN Convention Against Trans-national Organized Crime and two of its protocols relating to the smuggling of migrants and the trafficking in women and children.

Making use of the opportunity, countries undertook actions on a host of other treaties, including those relating to women and children’s rights, such as the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Political Rights of Women and the Convention on the Nationality of Married Women and the two protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child relating to children and armed conflict and child prostitution, which received 8 actions.

The environmental treaty, the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, received one ratification, while Malta ratified the Agreement on the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, the 30th instrument of ratification or accession to be deposited with the Secretary-General. Accordingly, the Agreement shall enter into force on 11 December 2001.

Twenty-two countries have participated in the event so far and 43 treaty actions have been undertaken with regard to 16 different conventions. Over 70 countries are expected to participate by the conclusion of the event on 16 November.