Multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) are one of the key instruments of international environmental governance and international environmental law. They are separate treaties to which States, regional economic integration organizations and, in some instances, and international organizations have become a Party. They intend to promote international cooperation on a specific set of environmental issues, such as the protection of the ozone layer and biodiversity and sustainable management of hazardous chemicals and waste. The United Nations Secretary-General usually serves as the depositary for each treaty. The 15 UNEP-administered MEAs include: 1. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); 2. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); 3. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS); 4. Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal; 5. Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade; 6. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants; 7. Minamata Convention on Mercury; 8. Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer; 9. Convention for Cooperation in the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Atlantic Coast of the West, Central and Southern African Region (Abidjan Convention)Error! Bookmark not defined; 10. Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention); 11. Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (Cartagena Convention); 12. Convention for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Western Indian Ocean (Nairobi Convention); 13. Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention); 14. Bamako Convention on the Ban of the Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes within Africa; and 15. Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians (Carpathian Convention).