The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification entered into force in 1996 and has been ratified by the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. It is the only binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable soil management.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in force since March 1994, has been ratified by all 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992 and has been ratified by all  33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal was adopted in response to strong public protest in the 1980s, following the discovery of toxic waste deposits in developing countries from abroad.

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer of the Vienna Convention has been ratified by all 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer entered into force in September 1988 and has ratified by the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), in force since 1983, is the only global convention focussed on the conservation of migratory species, their habitats and their migration routes.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), in force since 1975, aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not constitute a threat to their survival.