1.2 General context of ICES advice May

 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UN, 1982 (known as UNCLOS)), which includes a call for a maximum sustainable yield (MSY) approach to managing fisheries;  United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UN, 1992a (known as UNCED)), including Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 which highlights a precautionary approach;  United Nations Straddling Fish Stocks Agreement of 1995 (UN, 1995 (known as the UN Fish Stocks Agreement or UNFSA)) and the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (FAO, 1995), both of which call for a precautionary approach;  Convention on Biological Diversity (UN, 1992b (known as CBD)), which calls for conservation of biological diversity through an ecosystem approach;  Johannesburg Declaration of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (UN, 2002 (known as WSSD)), which calls for an ecosystem approach and rebuilding fisheries to maximum sustainable yield.