The eleventh special session of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum was held at the Bali International Convention Centre in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, from 24 to 26 February 2010. It was convened in pursuance of section I ofGoverning Council decision 25/17 of 20 February 2009 and paragraph 5 of General Assembly resolution 40/243 of 18 December 1985, on the pattern of conferences, and in accordance with rules 5 and 6 of the rules of procedure of the Governing Council.

The Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region, known as the Cartagena Convention, is a legally binding regional agreement for the protection and development of the Wider Caribbean Region. The Convention focuses on land-based sources of pollution, dumping of wastes at sea, pollution from ships, biodiversity protection, and airborne pollution among other things. Within the Convention, three protocols have been developed to deal with these issues: the Oil Spills Protocol; the Specially Protected Areas & Wildlife Protocol (SPAW); and Land-Based Sources and Activities Protocol (LBS).