ISLAMABAD, Dec 15: The European Union (EU) has asked the developing countries including Pakistan to ratify around 27 conventions related to human and labour rights, environment and governance principles.

Officials told Dawn on Wednesday that EU has attached ratification of all these conventions with a minimum requirement for qualifying to the new generalized system of preferences (GSP) plus scheme.

Pakistan has so far implemented around 17 international conventions in the different sectors while seeking relaxation from the EU to get maximum time for ratifications of the rest of the conventions. The EU has sent a list of the conventions to Pakistan, a copy of which was available with Dawn, asking Islamabad for ratification of the agreements at earliest.

According to the list the conventions included: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; International Convention on Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination; Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women; Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; Convention on the Rights of Child; Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime or Genocide, Minimum age for Admission to Employment, Prohibition and immediate action for the Elimination of the Worst forms of Child Labour; Abolition of Forced Labour Convention; Forced Compulsory Labour Convention; Equal Remuneration of men and women workers for work of equal value Convention; Discrimination in respect of Employment and Occupation Convention; Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention; Application of the principles of the Right to Organize and to bargain collectively Convention; International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid.

Conventions related to environment and governance principles included: Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone layer; Basal Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary movements of Hazardous wastes and their disposal; Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants; Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species; Convention on Biological Diversity, Cartagena Protocol on Bio safety; Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate change; UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961); UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971); UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1988); and Mexico UN convention against Corruption.