The 1992 OSPAR Convention is the current instrument guiding international cooperation on the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. 
It combined and up-dated the 1972 Oslo Convention on dumping waste at sea and the 1974 Paris Convention on land-based sources of marine pollution.    
   
The work under the convention is managed by the OSPAR Commission, made up of representatives of the Governments of 15 Contracting Parties and the European 
Commission, representing the European Community .    
   
The work under the Convention is guided by the Ministerial Declarations and Statements made at the adoption of the Convention and at the Ministerial Meetings 
of the OSPAR Commission. The work applies the ecosystem approach to the management of human activities. It is organised under six strategies:    
   
 Protection and Conservation of Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystems    
 Eutrophication    
 Hazardous Substances    
 Offshore Oil and Gas Industry    
 Radioactive Substances    
 Monitoring and Assessment