International engagement
Environmental agreements
The multilateral environmental agreements Malawi has joined, and the department’s part in them.
What MEAs are
Multilateral environmental agreements
A multilateral environmental agreement (MEA) is a treaty between many countries to protect the environment together: the climate, nature, land and water, or people’s health from harmful chemicals. A country that joins one becomes a Party. It agrees to act at home and to report on what it has done.
The Environmental Affairs Department is Malawi’s national focal point for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. For other agreements, it works with the lead ministries and agencies, including the Malawi Environment Protection Authority.
Climate
Climate change
| Agreement | What it is about | Malawi joined |
|---|---|---|
| UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — focal point: EAD | The global treaty to stop dangerous climate change | 1994 |
| Kyoto Protocol | Emission limits for industrialised countries, and the first carbon markets | 2001 |
| Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol | The Kyoto Protocol’s second commitment period, 2013–2020 | 2017 |
| Paris Agreement | Holding warming well below 2 °C, through each country’s NDC | 2017 |
Biodiversity
Nature and wildlife
| Agreement | What it is about | Malawi joined |
|---|---|---|
| Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) — focal point: EAD | Conserving biodiversity, using it sustainably, and sharing its benefits fairly | 1994 |
| Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety — focal point: EAD | Safe handling and movement of living modified organisms | 2009 |
| Nagoya Protocol | Access to genetic resources and fair sharing of their benefits | 2014 |
| Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol | Liability and redress for damage from living modified organisms | 2023 |
| CITES | Controls on international trade in endangered wild animals and plants | 1982 |
| Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) | Protecting animals that migrate across borders | 2019 |
| African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) | Protecting migratory waterbirds and their habitats | 2019 |
| International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture | Conserving crop diversity and sharing its benefits | 2002 |
Land and wetlands
Land, water and wetlands
| Agreement | What it is about | Malawi joined |
|---|---|---|
| UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) | Fighting land degradation, desertification and drought | 1996 |
| Ramsar Convention on Wetlands | Conserving wetlands of international importance and using them wisely | 1997 |
Chemicals and waste
Chemicals and hazardous waste
| Agreement | What it is about | Malawi joined |
|---|---|---|
| Basel Convention | Controlling movements of hazardous waste across borders | 1994 |
| Basel Ban Amendment | Banning exports of hazardous waste from richer to poorer countries | 2017 |
| Rotterdam Convention | Prior informed consent before hazardous chemicals are traded | 2009 |
| Stockholm Convention | Eliminating persistent organic pollutants | 2009 |
| Minamata Convention on Mercury | Protecting health and the environment from mercury | 2023 |
Ozone layer
Protecting the ozone layer
| Agreement | What it is about | Malawi joined |
|---|---|---|
| Vienna Convention | The framework for protecting the ozone layer | 1991 |
| Montreal Protocol | Phasing out the substances that deplete the ozone layer | 1991 |
| London and Copenhagen Amendments | Faster phase-outs, and more substances controlled | 1994 |
| Montreal and Beijing Amendments | Licensing of trade, and controls on further substances | 2009 |
| Kigali Amendment | Phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), strong greenhouse gases | 2017 |