Basel Convention. BulletinMarch 2011

Transcription

1 Basel Convention BulletinMarch 2011 Editorial Dear Reader, 2011 is a special year for the Basel Convention community: it will see a cumulation of important international events devoted to the promotion of the environmentally sound management of hazardous chemicals and wastes. Not only will all three chemicals and waste conventions hold meetings of their governing bodies this year in April, June and October, respectively -, but the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development will devote its 19th session in May to chemicals and waste management. The United Nations Environment Programme-led process on financing chemicals and wastes is expected to identify possible means of creating a sustainable financial basis for an issue long considered the poor cousin of the environment family has also been designated by the UN General Assembly as the International Year of Chemistry. Preparations are underway for the Rio+20 Summit to be held in Brazil in May 2012, which could present further opportunities to advance the chemicals and waste agenda, in connection with the Green Economy or International Environmental Governance both prominent themes of the Summit. All these events combined, together with the synergies between the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, provide a potentially powerful framework for pursuing our common goal to bring chemicals and wastes higher up on the national and international political agendas. It is essential that we seize this unique opportunity. As concerns the Basel Convention, and the issue of waste management generally, a paradigm shift is needed. Traditionally, Katharina Kummer Peiry wastes have been regarded as unwanted but unavoidable by-products of human activities, a costly burden which nobody shoulders voluntarily and for which there is thus a continuous lack of political interest and funding at all levels. There are several ways of promoting a paradigm shift. One is to raise awareness of the contribution of environmentally sound waste management, as an overarching issue, to the advancement of other goals that do enjoy political and financial support, such as protection of human health and livelihood, and the achievement of the related United Nations Millennium Development Goals. This linkage was promoted by the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (COP 9) through the Bali Declaration on Waste Management for Human Health and Livelihood in Another, perhaps yet more concrete approach to securing interest and support for waste management is a fundamental change

2 BASEL CONVENTION BULLETIN March 2011 in the perception of wastes, including hazardous wastes: recycling or resource recovery to extract economically valuable resources is possible for most types of wastes, given the proper enabling environment and the existence of a market. E-wastes are a case in point: 30 obsolete mobile phones contain the same amount of gold as one ton of ore. E-wastes also contain earth metals such as Indium, Palladium and Coltane, which are rapidly becoming a rare commodity. There are other examples, such as used leadacid batteries (ULAB). A waste thus becomes a resource: recycling and resource recovery will yield material with economic value. If carried out in accordance with the principles of environmentally sound management (ESM) enshrined in the Basel Convention, this approach can create green jobs and green business opportunities, and can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions in various sectors of the economy - provided that measures such as an ESM standard and certification schemes are put in place to ensure that the relevant operations are carried out in a way that protects human health and the environment. This shift in perception has taken place in science and industry, and relevant operations are already being carried out worldwide. Time is ripe for environmental policy at all levels to acknowledge and support this development. The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10), to be hosted by the Government of Colombia and held in Cartagena de Indias from 17 to 21 October 2011, will have as its theme Prevention, minimization and recovery of wastes (working title). This issue is closely linked with the Green Economy approach, which figures prominently on the agenda of the Rio+20 Summit. It is my hope that COP 10 will not only rise to the challenge of achieving the necessary paradigm shift, but will also kick-start a process leading to concrete measures to make the Green Economy a reality through minimizing waste generation and turning wastes into resources in an environmentally sound manner. Ms. Katharina Kummer Peiry Executive Secretary Secretariat of the Basel Convention Contents Editorial... 1 Colombia and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention sign Host Country Agreement... 3 Strategic Framework : Development of indicators and means of implementation / interlinkages with other Basel Convention activities... 4 Third Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PACE) Meeting in Beijing... 5 Update on the Basel Convention Implementation and Compliance Committee... 6 Consultative process on financing options... 6 Meeting of Senior Advisory Group of Experts to the Executive Secretary on exploring the economic potential of the waste-resource interface... 7 Latest developments and outcomes of the third meeting of the CLI and looking towards COP Second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury (INC2)... 8 Asbestos waste resulting from natural disasters... 9 ESM of E-waste in the Asia-Pacific Region: Update as at January Progress on the E-waste Africa project activities...11 Enhancing cooperation and coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions...12 SBC awarded funding under European Commission Thematic Programme...12 More regional synergies workshops held in late Joint Consultation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions with the Basel and Stockholm Convention Regional Centres and FAO and UNEP Regional Offices...14 Enforcement and illegal traffic issues...15 BCRC-Slovakia organizes a Regional Awareness-Raising workshop...17 The First Exhibition and Conference on Tire and Rubber Recycling and the Environment in Tehran...17 The Advisory Committee approves ambitious programme for Safe Planet

3 Colombia and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention sign Host Country Agreement On 1 December 2010 H.E. María Angela Holguín, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, and Ms. Katharina Kummer, Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the Basel Convention (SBC), signed the Host Country Agreement between the Government of Colombia and the Secretariat regarding the arrangements of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Basel Convention. The meeting will be hosted by the Government of Colombia and will take place from 17 to 21 October 2011 in the city of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. A ceremony was held in Geneva on 20 January 2011 where the signed Host country Agreement was transmitted by H.E. Ambassador Alicia Arango Olmos, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations Office in Geneva. The Agreement defines the responsibilities of the Government of Colombia and SBC in holding the COP 10. The Conference of the Parties is the governing body of the Basel Convention composed of representatives of all governments of Party States to the Convention. Representatives of Parties to the Basel Convention from around the world are expected to gather at Cartagena de Indias in October 2011 to address various key issues ranging from the Strategic Framework , which would map where the Convention would stand in 10 years and how to get there, to how to enhance cooperation and coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, and moving forward on the issue of the Ban Amendment, following the country-led initiative (CLI) of Indonesia and Switzerland to identify possible solutions. Included in this process are the major stakeholders along with representatives of civil society non-governmental organizations and industry. COP 10 will focus on the theme Prevention, minimization and recovery of wastes (working title) exploring ways in which the Basel Convention could help turn wastes into valuable resources, so as to create business and job opportunities, while protecting human health, livelihood, and the environment. Fore more information, please contact: Mr. Nelson Sabogal, Chief, Convention Services & Governance Unit, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , nelson.sabogal@unep.org Colombia and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention sign Host Country Agreement Left to right: H.E. Ambassador Alicia Arango Olmos, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations Office in Geneva and Ms. Katharina Kummer Peiry, Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the Basel Convention. Photo: Christophe Marchat Elections during the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, October 2011) The following elections will be held during the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10): membership of the Bureau of COP 10 (five members); membership of the Bureau of the Open-ended Working Group for (five members); and membership of the Committe for Administering the Mechanism for Promoting Implementation and Compliance (ten members). Parties and regional groups are invited to consider possible nominations in view if this election. 3

4 BASEL CONVENTION BULLETIN March 2011 Strategic Framework : Development of indicators and means of implementation / interlinkages with other Basel Convention activities The seventh session of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG7) agreed on the Vision, Guiding Principles and Strategic Goals and Objectives of the Strategic Framework for As requested by the decision OEWG-VII/1, the Secretariat has published the agreed elements on the Basel Convention website ( A consultative meeting was also organized, with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Department of the Environment. The consultative meeting was held from 8 to 9 February 2011, with 35 participants from 30 countries and 5 Basel Convention Regional Centres for Training and Technology Transfer. NSF Participants From left to right: Mr. Mohammed Koba, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Indonesia, Geneva; H. E. Ms. Masnellyarti Hilman, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment, Indonesia; Ibrahim Shafii, Chief, Programme Support Unit, Secretariat of the Basel Convention; Mr. Ridwan Tamin, Assistant Deputy for Hazardous Waste Management and Contamination Recovery of Hazardous Waste, Ministry of Environment, Indonesia. Photo: DWHS-2011 The meeting, building on the outcome and agreed elements of the OEWG7 meeting, provided further guidance to the Secretariat for integrating the means of implementation and indicators in the Strategic Framework. The meeting participants undertook an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in relation to the components of the development of the Strategic Framework. Participants also engaged in rich discussions, including through working groups and brainstorming sessions, on the draft means of implementation and indicators developed prior to the meeting. The active and helpful contributions during these discussions and exercises provided a wealth of suggestions and guidance for improving and further consolidating the process of the preparation of the draft text of the Strategic Framework. The outcome of the consultative meeting was published on the Basel Convention website ( and comments on this document from Parties and other stakeholders are welcomed. Report of the third consultative meeting on the draft Strategic Framework for the implementation of the Basel convention (8-9 February 2011) The report is available on the website of the Basel Convention ( Comments on the outcome of this meeting are invited from all Parties, Signatories and interested stakeholders no later than 31 March 2010 and should be sent to the Secretariat (Yvonne.ewang@unep.org) For more information, please contact: Mr. Ibrahim Shafii, Chief, Programme Support Unit, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , ibrahim.shafii@unep.org 4

5 Participants of the Third Face-to-Face Meeting of PACE Photo: BCRC-China Third Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PACE) Meeting in Beijing The Third Face-to-Face Meeting of PACE was held from 13 to 15 December 2010 in the Sino-Italian Tsinghua Environment and Energy-efficient Building (SIEEB) of Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. The meeting was organized by the PACE Working Group, in collaboration with the Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Asia and Pacific Region (BCRC-China), with support from the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China. The Ministry of Environment of Japan also kindly provided financial support for the meeting. The meeting was attended by 52 participants from 12 Parties and Signatories, 9 Basel Convention Regional and Coordinating Centres (BCRCs), SBC, international organizations, industry, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations. report on PACE for transmission to COP 10. During the discussions that followed, it was agreed that the Working Group would host a side event on PACE at COP 10. In addition, SBC informed participants of the PACE budget, membership list, and status of the ongoing study on the transboundary movement of e-waste. The Project Groups and Sub-group on transboundary movements (TBM) also made great progress in developing technical guidelines, procedures for transboundary movements of used and end-of-life computing equipment, launching e-waste surveys and developing awareness-raising and training products on PACE. On the final day, the PACE Working Group heard reports from Project Groups and the Sub-group on TBM and identified dates for future teleconferences with the objective of finalizing various PACE products. The co-chairs of the meeting, Professor Oladele Osibanjo from the Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the African Region (BCCC-Nigeria) and Mr. Marco Buletti from Switzerland, initiated discussions on the preparation of an overall guidance document on the environmentally sound management of used and end-of-life computing equipment and the drafting of a decision and progress The United States Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that it will host the fourth face-to-face meeting of the PACE Working Group in Washington DC from 6 to 8 June Fore more information, please contact: Dr. Jinhui Li, Executive Secretary, BCRC-China, tel: / , jinhui@tsinghua.edu.cn Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Photo: BCRC-China Matthias Kern, Secretariat of the Basel Convention and Ms. Sanaz Sabeti, BCRC-Tehran Photo: DWHS

6 BASEL CONVENTION BULLETIN March 2011 Update on the Basel Convention Implementation and Compliance Committee over the period as well as a proposed work programme for the Committee for the next biennium. COP 10 is expected to elect ten new members of the Committee. Since September 2010, the Committee for Administering the Mechanism for Promoting the Implementation and Compliance of the Basel Convention (the Committee) has continued consideration of its and work programmes, including by holding informal consultations. The Chair of the Committee is Mrs. Gillian Guthrie (Jamaica). The eighth session of the Committee is scheduled to take place in Geneva from 21 to 23 March 2011, at which time the Committee will consider issues under its general review mandate as well as several specific submissions. Under its general review mandate, the Committee is tackling a number of issues. Concerning illegal traffic, the Committee will consider the development of concrete suggestions on how the Committee can work better with the relevant organizations on improving information sharing and on capacity building activities. On national reporting, the Committee is expected to assess the status of reporting, identifying the difficulties faced by Parties in fulfilling their national reporting obligations and their needs for assistance; develop further guidance documents on best practices in national reporting; classify and publish Parties compliance performance with respect to the annual reporting obligations; and to promote and facilitate the exchange of information on best available practices between developed countries and developing countries, including countries with economies in transition, on development of national reporting. Under its general review mandate, the Committee is also expected to review Parties notifications of national definitions of hazardous wastes as well as of import and export prohibitions, compliance with the duty to designate competent authorities and a focal point, the application of the control system for the transboundary movements of wastes (notification and movement documents), and the status of existing legislation and other legal or administrative measures, including regulations and identify needs for assistance. In addition to this work, the Committee will consider, for the first time, specific submissions regarding implementation and compliance with the Convention. In addition to a submission received from Oman, the Committee will consider nine submissions received from the Secretariat concerning possible difficulties by Parties in complying with their reporting obligations under article 13, paragraph 3 of the Convention. The Committee will further discuss the contents of its forthcoming report to COP 10, which will address the activities it undertook Fore more information, please contact: Ms. Juliette Voinov Kohler, Legal officer, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , juliette.kohler@unep.org Consultative process on financing options The third meeting in the consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes was held in Pretoria, South Africa, from 10 to 11 January The meeting was attended by representatives from 27 countries, the European Commission, the secretariats of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), non-governmental organizations and industry. The meeting addressed the following four financing tracks as complementary elements towards strengthening the financing for chemicals and wastes: Mainstreaming the sound management of chemicals and wastes into other sectors of the development agenda; Public-private partnerships, including the use of economic instruments at the national and international levels; New trust fund similar to the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone layer; and Introducing sound management of chemicals and wastes as a new focal area, or expanding the existing persistent organic pollutants focal area, under GEF. The need for further analysis of the different financing tracks was identified. Such an analysis should also spell out the complementarity of the tracks and possible further streamlining and integration of the financing tracks. The forth meeting in the consultative process will be held in the margins of or in parallel with the 19th session of the Committee on Sustainable Development from 2 to13 May 2011 in New York. The fifth meeting in the consultative process is scheduled to be held back-to-back with the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia from 17 to 21 October

7 It is foreseen that the final outcome of the process will be submitted in November 2011 for consideration by the twelfth special session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum in February 2012, to arrive at decisions at the third session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management in 2012 and at the twenty-seventh session of the Governing Council/ Global Ministerial Environment Forum in Participants of the consultative process reiterated their request to the UNEP Executive Director to report on the progress made and the direction of the consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes to relevant intergovernmental processes in the coming years, including to the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions at their meetings in relevant international policy discussions, in particular in the context of the preparations for COP 10. A point of consensus amongst the Group was that the Basel Convention needs to modernize to keep pace with the paradigm shift in the way in which policymakers view waste. Some waste streams are no longer viewed as useless and costly and waste management as a practice is not solely focused on treatments which are best suited for its disposal. Instead, its economic potential is more widely recognized and ground-breaking technologies and business opportunities have emerged to promote the use of waste as a valuable resource. It was suggested that Parties to the Convention may wish to support such a shift by considering, in addition to the environmentally sound management of hazardous and other wastes, the issue of resource management, through promoting a lifecycle approach which incorporates economic, social and environmental sustainability. Fore more information, please contact: Mr. Matthias Kern, Chief, Implementation and Capacity Building Unit, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , matthias.kern@unep.org Meeting of Senior Advisory Group of Experts to the Executive Secretary on exploring the economic potential of the waste-resource interface A meeting of a Senior Advisory Group of Experts to the Executive Secretary of the Basel Convention was convened from 18 to 19 January 2011 to explore the economic potential of the wasteresource interface. The Advisory Group was composed of a small number of recognized experts in different areas related to the wasteresource interface. Convened as a think tank, the composition of the Group was determined on the basis of expertise rather than professional or institutional affiliation. The Group advised the Executive Secretary on possible practical ways in which the Basel Convention could strengthen the waste to resource linkage. This meeting is especially timely as the Government of Colombia, in its capacity as Host and Presidency of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (COP 10), has proposed Prevention, minimization and recovery of wastes (working title) as the theme for COP 10. Following the meeting, the Executive Secretary drafted a non-paper outlining a number of concrete options for achieving the paradigm shift from waste to resources, on the basis of key recommendations resulting from the Advisory Group. The Executive Secretary s non-paper is intended as an instrument for the use of the Host Government as well as all Parties and stakeholders in relevant consultations, and in the development of the theme of COP10. The non-paper is available on the Basel Convention website ( For more information, please contact: Ms. Susan Wingfield, Programme officer, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: ; susan.wingfield@unep.org Status of ratifications (as at 10 March 2011) The Basel Convention welcomes the following new Parties: Lao People s Democratic Republic (20 December 2010) and Somalia (24 October 2010). As a result, there are 175 Parties to the Basel Convention. Greece (12 July 2010) ratified the Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention, which brings to 69 the total number of Parties to the Ban Amendment. The Advisory Group was asked to consider a list of questions previously drafted by the Executive Secretary, and on this basis, to make recommendations which would form a practical input to the Total number of Parties to the Basel Protocol on Liability and Compensation are 10. 7

8 BASEL CONVENTION BULLETIN March 2011 Latest developments and outcomes of the third meeting of the CLI and looking towards COP 10 The third meeting of the Indonesian-Swiss Country-Led Initiative (CLI) took place from 24 to 28 September 2010 in Hilterfingen, Switzerland. This meeting reviewed and discussed elements that could be included in a proposal for a draft decision to be forwarded to COP 10. It made suggestions for improvement and completion of those elements and concluded that the paper listing these elements and its explanatory texts provided a good basis for further work. The meeting made a first start in grouping the elements and formulating a draft omnibus decision that could be recommended to the COP 10 on a way forward. The fruitful discussions lead to the preparation of a set of documents, including preambular texts and elements for operational parts of such a draft decision. Based on the meeting s discussions, Indonesia and Switzerland collated and restructured the documents into one comprehensive document as a proposal for a draft omnibus decision. They also prepared accompanying explanatory documentation that should also be forwarded to the COP 10. The participants were invited to provide written comments on these drafts. Based on CLI participants comments and input, Indonesia and Switzerland have prepared a revised draft decision and explanatory documentation. These documents have been and continue to be made available on the Basel Convention website to Parties, Signatories and interested stakeholders for comments. On the basis of these inputs, Indonesia and Switzerland will prepare revised documentation to be transmitted to the COP 10 for consideration. This documentation includes: Draft decision; Documents to explain the ideas and discussions behind the proposals within the draft decision; Background information that was gathered during and through the CLI process. The meeting report, draft decision, explanatory note and other documentation relating to the CLI are available on the Basel Convention website ( html). Comments are invited on the draft decision by 30 April For more information, please contact: Mr. Ibrahim Shafii, Chief, Programme Support Unit, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , ibrahim.shafii@unep.ch Second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury (INC2) The Secretariat of the Basel Convention participated in the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury (INC2) which was held from 24 to 28 January 2011 in Chiba, Japan. The meeting was attended by over 700 participants, representing governments, UN agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. INC2 was the second of five sessions anticipated to convene prior to the twenty-seventh session of the United Nations Environment Programme Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (UNEP GC/GMEF) in The INC2 was hosted by the Government of Japan and organized by UNEP. Delegates at INC2 began work in plenary chaired by Mr. Fernando Lugris (Uruguay) on the development of a legally binding instrument on mercury based on the Draft Elements Paper of a comprehensive approach to a globally binding instrument on mercury prepared by UNEP. Delegates engaged in initial exchanges of views on key elements of a convention, including: preambular paragraphs; objectives and definitions; measures to reduce supply, intentional use, releases to air, water and land; transitional measures; technical, implementation and financial assistance; awarenessraising; institutional arrangements; settlement of disputes; further development of the convention; and final provisions. Contact groups were then established to engage in a more detailed discussion on some specific areas, one of which was related to mercury storage, waste and contaminated sites. As far as the Basel Convention is concerned, issues of mercury added products, mercury waste, environmentally sound storage and contaminated sites were of prime importance so as to ensure the avoidance of conflicts and duplications with the existing provisions of the Basel Convention in the proposed mercury instrument. In this regard, there was a strong realization that coherence and encouragement of synergies among the chemicals and waste related multilateral environmental agreements were of extreme importance. On 23 January 2011, participants gathered for a technical briefing and heard presentations on: mercury storage and waste; artisanal and small scale gold mining; and the Paragraph 29 Study and mercury emissions. The Government of Japan gave a presentation 8

9 on the status of the development of the technical guidelines on the ESM of mercury waste under the Basel Convention and the Guidance Document on best environmental practices and best available techniques and how they relate to the INC process. For more information, please contact: Mr. Ibrahim Shafii, Chief, Programme Support Unit, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , Or UNEP Chemicals website: INC2/tabid/3468/Default.aspx Designation of competent authority and focal point and/ or any modifications or updated information Parties are kindly reminded that new designations of focal point and competent authority and/or any modifications or updated information need to be formally transmitted to the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Basel Convention (fax: ) as required under article 5 of the Convention. A standard form, adopted by Parties to the Convention to assist Parties in notifying such information is available on the Basel Convention website: contact-info/frsetmain.html As of 10 March 2011, 159 Parties have designated competent authority(ies) and 165 Parties have designated a focal point. Asbestos waste resulting from natural disasters The Secretariat of the Basel Convention (SBC), the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for Southeast Asia (BCRC-SEA) in Indonesia and BCRC-China undertook a project on the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of Asbestos Waste resulting from Natural Disasters in the Asia-Pacific Region (the ESM of Asbestos Waste project) to strengthen the capacity of developing countries in the region to manage asbestos waste in an environmentally sound manner. The project is part of a wider programme initiated by the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention (SRC), in cooperation with SBC and other relevant international organizations (International Labour Organization and World Health Organization), on the sound management of industrial chemicals. It is funded by Government of Japan through the Rotterdam Convention s Voluntary Trust Fund. The major programme Sound Management of Industrial Chemicals, with Special Emphasis on Asbestos, for the Asia-Pacific Region has been developed to strengthen the ability of Asian- Pacific countries to safely manage and dispose of hazardous industrial chemicals, especially asbestos, so as to adequately address the obligations under both conventions and other related multilateral environmental agreements. The work of the ESM of Asbestos Waste project focused on two areas in the Asian region which have been adversely affected by natural disasters. The BCRC-SEA cooperated with the West Java provincial government, Indonesia, with respect to the aftermath of the tsunami in Pangandaran, and BCRC-China with the Sichuan provincial government, China, with respect to the earthquake in Shifang. The output of the project is outlined below: 1. A compendium of information and guidelines was compiled for the ESM of asbestos waste from various sources. This work was undertaken by BCRC-SEA and is available on BCRC-SEA s blog site, 2. A comprehensive programme on the ESM of asbestos waste and two documentaries on the operational aspects of the ESM of asbestos waste in both project sites were developed as models. 3. Internships for selected government officers from Nepal and Pakistan by BCRC-China. 9

10 BASEL CONVENTION BULLETIN March 2011 Organization of the project JAPAN S MoFA (Donor) SRC SBC PARTNERS (ILO, WHO, ETC.) BCRC SEA (Tsunami) BCRC China (Earthquake) Indonesia (Pilot Scheme & Reg.Workshop) China (Pilot Scheme & Reg.Workshop) Asbestos waste resulting from natural disasters 4. Workshops, conducted by both BCRCs on the ESM of asbestos waste. The BCRC-SEA s workshop in Jakarta was attended by representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand. BCRC-China s workshop in Beijing was attended by representatives from China, Nepal, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Local governments, industry, academia, SBC, SRC, other BCRCs, International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, and United Nations Development Programme also participated in the workshops. Participants exchanged information and experiences on asbestos management issues, discussed the results of the pilot projects, the potential for their replication in participating countries and the development of a regional approach to address common issues. The ESM of Asbestos Waste project has increased stakeholder awareness in relation to asbestos, its environmental and health impacts and ESM practices. Replications of the pilot projects are already being planned in other disaster-prone areas in Indonesia. Fore more information, please contact: Mr. Dadan Wardhana Hasanuddin, Programme officer, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , dadan.wardhana@unep.org and Mr.Alexander Mangwiro, Programme officer, Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention, tel: , amangwiro@pic.int ESM of E-waste in the Asia-Pacific Region: Update as at January 2011 The ESM of E-Waste in Asia-Pacific Programme was initiated in Tokyo, Japan, in At this time, a number of national and regional plans were established for implementation. The programme was reaffirmed with the adoption of the Work Programme for by COP 9 in In 2009, the Ministry of Environment of Japan supported the Secretariat, in cooperation with BCRC-SEA, BCRC-China and the Government of Viet Nam, in conducting a regional training workshop aimed at building capacity of the Parties and the BCRCs in the Asia-Pacific region in developing ESM of E-Waste projects. Stemming from this workshop, the Ministry of Japan has provided further funding for the continued implementation of the Programme. As part of the Programme, the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia has recently completed a project comprising of a training programme for e-wastes and a demonstration at a recyclable waste collection site. The project was developed and implemented by the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia, in cooperation with SBC and BCRC-SEA. Stakeholder representatives nationwide participated in the project, which comprised of three training workshops and other public awareness-raising activities. A demonstration of ESM of E-Waste aiming at improving e-waste management practices was also undertaken at a recyclable waste management facility in Phnom Penh, where corrective actions were introduced, implemented and evaluated. 10

11 There are four more national and regional projects currently ongoing under the ESM of E-Waste in Asia-Pacific Programme: In Thailand: National training and development of a demonstration unit for e-waste separation; In Viet Nam: Pilot collection of e-waste in the Northern Key Economic Zone of Viet Nam; By BCRC-China: Development of pilot public-private partnerships for e-waste collection in a city in China; By BCRC-SEA: Regional technical training workshops on the ESM of e-waste and development of regional database on e-waste. Another national project on national inventory, recyclable materials and extended producer responsibility assessments in Indonesia, and a larger regional project, are currently under development. For more information, please contact: Mr. Dadan Wardhana Hasanuddin, Programme officer, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , dadan.wardhana@unep.org (Öko-Institute), and the second by the same partners and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA). The third event was organized by the European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL), which hosted a train-the-trainer workshop on e-waste Inspection and Enforcement. The workshop took place in September 2010 in the Netherlands and Belgium. Nineteen government officials representing Ghana, Benin, Egypt and Nigeria, as well as the Directors of BCCC-Nigeria, the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for French-speaking countries in Africa (BCRC-Senegal) and the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Arab States (BCRC-Egypt) were trained. The programme consisted of a combination of theoretical sessions on such issues as port procedures, legislation, inspection methods, collaboration, practical exercises and field trips to the ports of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp, and e-waste collection and treatment sites. Progress on the E-waste Africa project activities The E-waste Africa project is a comprehensive programme aiming to enhance the environmental governance of e-waste and to create favourable social and economic conditions for partnerships and small businesses in the recycling sector in Africa. Led by SBC, the project commenced in November 2008 and is scheduled for completion in March In late 2010, three training activities were held in the framework of the project. This included a training programme on environmentally sound dismantling and recycling practices for the informal and semi-formal sectors, held in December 2010 in Nigeria. The training targeted practitioners and entrepreneurs involved in e-product refurbishing and e-waste recycling as well as government officials. The programme provided a valuable input towards the development of sustainable e-waste recycling businesses in Nigeria. The training programme was held in December 2010, back-to-back with a stakeholder workshop on the Feasibility of International Recycling Cooperation and the Development of a National E-waste Strategy in Nigeria. The workshop provided a platform for 90 participants, including key national stakeholders and international stakeholders such as Hewlett Packard and Grimaldi, to discuss draft e-waste legislation and recycling opportunities. The first event was organized by BCCC-Nigeria and the Institute for Applied Ecology Activities in 2011 will include the development of a training manual on enforcement and inspection and the organization of training workshops on enforcement in five countries by BCCC-Nigeria, BCRC-Senegal and IMPEL. SBC will also organize the Advisory Board and Stakeholder meetings for the project. For more information, please contact: Ms. Tatiana Terekhova, Programme officer, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , tatiana.terekhova@unep.org National reports Transmitting national reports to the Secretariat of the Basel Convention is one of the obligations of Parties to the Convention. To facilitate reporting, the pre-filled questionnaires as well as the blank questionnaires for the year 2009 are made available at the Basel Convention website ( Currently the Secretariat is receiving national reports for the year As at 15 March 2011, the Secretariat has received 53 national reports. For further information please contact Ms. Carla Valle-Klann (carla.valle@unep.org) 11

12 BASEL CONVENTION BULLETIN March 2011 Enhancing cooperation and coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions The meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions may, as such, adopt similar or identical decisions on enhancing cooperation and coordination between the conventions. Decision IX/10 of the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention adopted the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Joint Working Group on enhancing cooperation and coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions. These recommendations were also adopted by decision RC-4/11 of the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention and decision SC-4/34 of the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention. These three decisions are known as the synergies decisions. The simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions were held in Bali, Indonesia, from 22 to 24 February These meetings were held back-to-back with the eleventh special session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environmental Forum of UNEP and adopted decision BC.Ex-1/1 of the Conference of Parties to the Basel Convention; RC.Ex-1/1 of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention; and SC.Ex-1/1 of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention. These decisions, which are in substance identical, are known as the omnibus decisions and provide the mandate for further development of the synergies process. The next meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions are taking place in Further to omnibus decisions, the three secretariats have prepared documents regarding the different parts of the omnibus decisions: I. Joint activities; II. Joint managerial functions; III. Joint services; IV. Synchronization of budget cycles; V. Joint audits; and VI. Review arrangements. The secretariats have cooperated in the preparation of the abovementioned documents. Reports on implementation of the omnibus decisions, as requested in those decisions, will be made available to the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention, to be held from 25 to 29 April 2011 in Geneva; to the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention, to be held from 20 to 24 June 2011 in Geneva; and to the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, to be held from 17 to 21 October 2011 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. It is important to note that, in light of the synergies decisions request for a proposal for cross-cutting and joint activities between the three conventions, it is likely that parts of the programme of work and operational budget for the biennium relating to implementation of the decisions on enhancing cooperation and coordination will be similar. Fore more information, please contact: Mr. Nelson Sabogal, Chief, Convention Services & Governance Unit, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , nelson.sabogal@unep.org SBC awarded funding under European Commission Thematic Programme The Secretariat was recently granted USD 650,000 for the biennium in support of priority 4 under the European Commission s Thematic Programme for Environment and sustainable management of Natural Resources, including energy (ENRTP). Actions under priority 4 of the ENRTP Programme have the key aim of promoting stronger international environmental governance and coherent international policy development. An important focus area is to support the secretariats of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) to implement the work programmes agreed by their Parties. With the funds received, the Secretariat will undertake activities in five component areas in support of implementation of the work programme as adopted by COP 9 in June 2008 (decision IX/31). Actions under the first component will support the Implementation and Compliance Committee in its work in Specific activities will be determined at COP 10 in October 2011, but it is anticipated that they might include assessments of the status of implementation and compliance with individual obligations under the Basel Convention and the development of tools to assist Parties to implement and comply with specific commitments. Activities under the second component on enforcement will support the development of tools, including the Draft Instruction Manual for the Legal Profession on the Prosecution of Illegal Traffic 12

13 mandated by COP 9, a World Customs Organization joint e-learning course on the effective implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, and a training tool for police officers elaborated in cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). The Secretariat is also planning to organize jointly with the secretariats of the Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions and in cooperation with the BCRCs, legal workshops to deliver training on the establishment of an appropriate legal framework for the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions. A third set of activities aims to promote full and coordinated use of the BCRCs to strengthen the regional delivery of assistance for the implementation and enforcement of the Basel Convention provisions on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes. One-day meetings will take place back-toback with the Annual Meeting of the BCRC Directors in 2011 and Training will be delivered in priority areas, as identified by the BCRCs, relevant partners and the Secretariat. Training tools will also be developed as agreed during the meetings, in cooperation with relevant partners. The fourth component area focuses on improving the ability of Parties to transmit national reports to the Secretariat through the conduct of three regional training workshops on national reporting. The workshops are expected to increase the number of Parties transmitting national reports to the Secretariat and to improve the quality of the reports submitted in terms of completeness, precision and relevance of information. Lastly, under the fifth component, two projects will be undertaken in support of the Convention s work on ship dismantling. In 2011, a case study will be produced on the development of compliant facilities for ship recycling. The study will specify operational, procedural and infrastructural developments to be undertaken at ship recycling facilities to achieve compliance with the provisions of the Basel Convention in relation to environmentally sound management and the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships. A feasibility study will be produced in 2012, which will identify cost effective alternatives to the beaching method of ship recycling. For more information, please contact: Ms. Susan Wingfield, Programme officer, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , susan.wingfield@unep.org More regional synergies workshops held in late 2010 The secretariats of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm conventions continue to cooperate in assisting Parties in their implementation of the decisions on enhanced cooperation and coordination among the three conventions. Since September 2010, two more regional awareness-raising workshops were organized: one in the Central and Eastern European region and the other in the Latin America and Caribbean region. The main objective of the workshops was to provide participants with information on the ongoing process to further promote cooperation and coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions. The workshops also served as a platform for the exchange of information and good practices associated with the joint implementation of the conventions. The Regional Awareness Raising Workshop on Enhancing Cooperation and Coordination for the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in Central America and the Caribbean was held from 6 to 9 December 2011 in San Salvador, El Salvador. The Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Central American Sub-region including Mexico (BCRC-El Salvador) organized the workshop in close collaboration with the three conventions secretariats and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). It brought together 25 participants from governments, non-governmental organizations and the Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for Capacity Building and Transfer of Technology in Mexico. The workshop included sessions on resource mobilization and on the development of legal and institutional frameworks to implement the conventions. Participants were given the opportunity to present the status of their national legal frameworks in the region and discuss gaps and challenges related to the elaboration and implementation of such frameworks. The Regional Awareness Raising Workshop on Enhancing Cooperation and Coordination for the Implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in Central and Eastern Europe took place in Bratislava, Slovakia from 2 to 4 November For more information on this workshop, please see page 17. In 2011 three additional workshops are planned for the Arab-speaking countries of Western Asia; French-speaking countries in Africa; and the Pacific countries, served by their respective BCRCs in their region. For more information, please contact: Ms. Tatiana Terekhova, Programme officer, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , tatiana.terekhova@unep.org 13

14 BASEL CONVENTION BULLETIN March 2011 Joint Consultation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions with the Basel and Stockholm Convention Regional Centres and FAO and UNEP Regional Offices Joint efforts to promote interregional cooperation and coordination for the enforcement of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions and to improve their implementation at national level brought together more than 60 representatives from all the regions of the world at the Joint Consultation of Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions with the Basel and Stockholm Convention Regional Centres and FAO and UNEP Regional Offices, held in Barcelona, Spain from 27 September to 1 October The joint consultative meeting was hosted in Barcelona by the Regional Activity Centre for Cleaner Production (CP/RAC), a Regional Centre under the Stockholm Convention, hosted in the facilities of the Catalan Waste Agency. Joint Consultation of Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions with the Basel and Stockholm Convention Regional Centres and FAO and UNEP Regional Offices From left to right: Mr. Nelson Sabogal, Secretariat of the Basel Convention; Mr. David Ogden, Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention; and Mr. Paul Whylie, Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention. Photo: CP/RAC The joint consultative meeting followed up on the omnibus decisions about the collaboration of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions reached at the simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions in Bali, in 2011 February. National governments have made great commitments to implement the hazardous chemicals and wastes environmental agreements to which they are Parties and FAO and UNEP are enhancing their cooperation and coordination so that these commitments can be achieved. such as resource mobilization, networking, project development, coordinated use of Regional Centres/Regional Offices, support by the Secretariats, improving training of customs through the UNEP Green Customs Initiative and future activities. The weeklong event included parallel sessions in which the third Workshop of the Stockholm Convention Regional and Subregional Centres, the sixth session of the Consultative Meeting of the Basel Convention Regional and Coordinating Centres and the sixth session of the Consultative Meeting of the FAO Sub-Regional Offices were held. One way of increasing the delivery of technical and financial support to support national commitments is the use of dynamic green global network taping into communication technology and exchange of experiences and information. The network of 14 Basel Centres, 15 Stockholm Centres, 17 FAO and 7 UNEP Regional offices in all regions of the world are a powerful green network. This network is open to different actors of civil society like NGOs, industry and academia - a winning proposition to protect the planet and to foster sustainable development. Fore more information, please contact: Mr. Nelson Sabogal, Chief, Convention Services & Governance Unit, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , nelson.sabogal@unep.org Experts at the joint consultative meeting therefore agreed to establish a structured exchange of information on implementation at national level and between the Regional Centres and Offices. They also agreed on 34 recommendations dealing with issues 14

15 GCI partner meeting 2011, INTERPOL General Secretariat, Lyon, France. Photo: INTERPOL Enforcement and illegal traffic issues Cooperation with organizations and networks active in preventing and combating the illegal traffic of hazardous and other wastes has continued and the Secretariat is contributing to the work of several organizations and networks. Green Customs Initiative (GCI) GCI is an initiative that aims at enhancing the capacity of customs to play their role in implementing and enforcing multilateral environmental agreements such as the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions. GCI regularly organizes capacity building workshops and invites the three hazardous chemicals and wastes conventions secretariats to deliver training. Traditionally, the three secretariats have relied on regional partners, in particular the conventions regional centres, to represent them during these workshops. Since September 2010, GCI subregional trainings on the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions have been delivered in Turkmenistan, Malawi and Niger. In addition, national training workshops were delivered in Viet Nam and the Maldives. Partners to the GCI held their seventh meeting in Lyon, France from 8 to 9 February The Secretariat of the Basel Convention represented the three hazardous chemicals and wastes conventions. Fourth workshop of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements Regional Enforcement Network (MEA REN - 4), from 19 to 22 September 2010, Beijing, China. The secretariats of the Basel and Rotterdam conventions jointly represented the three conventions during MEA REN 4 at which time they delivered a presentation providing information on the synergies process along with information on the secretariats enforcement activities relevant to the region. The meeting endorsed a number of recommendations, including: more training on the identification of substances and wastes covered by the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions; further work on the establishment of a proper legal framework implementing these conventions and on coordinated implementation/enforcement of this framework at the national level; more awareness training on the three conventions, including through the Green Customs Initiative; a better implementation of the ship-back procedure under the Basel Convention; closer cooperation between enforcement entities and also with the private sector, including shipping companies, to enforce the Basel Convention and prevent illegal shipments; more technical guidance from the Rotterdam Convention; and greater involvement of the judiciary, for instance through the work of the Division of Environmental Law and Conventions of the United Nations Environment Programme on judges and prosecutors. 15

16 BASEL CONVENTION BULLETIN March 2011 The Workshop on Combating Illegal Hazardous Waste Trade Through Seaports, 29 November 2010, Siem Reap, Cambodia, and the Workshop 2010 of the Asian Network for Prevention of Illegal Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes, from 30 November to 2 December 2010, Siem Reap, Cambodia. In late 2010, the Secretariat attended the two abovementioned back-to-back meetings related to preventing and combating illegal traffic in Asia. During the Workshop on Combating Illegal Hazardous Waste Trade Through Seaports, convened by the Seaport Environmental Security Network (SESN) of the International Network on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE), countries in the region shared enforcement strategies and their views on the development of cooperation tools to detect and prevent the illegal trade in hazardous wastes. The INECE SESN also reported back on an global inspection month that took place in July and August 2010 during which twelve countries including Singapore - and one special administrative region - Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region (SAR)of China) - undertook inspection exercises and reported back to the INECE Secretariat, using a common reporting format. The Secretariat also attended the 2010 Workshop of the Asian Network, a network that aims at facilitating the exchange and dissemination of information on transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and selected used products among North-east and South-east Asian countries, and assists participating countries in formulating appropriate legislative response to such movements. The network informally brings together participants from 11 countries: Brunei, Cambodia, China (and Hong Kong SAR of China), Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Viet Nam and the Republic of Korea. The meeting focused inter alia on measures for strengthening border control and facilitation of the take-back procedure, current discussions and future direction on the Ban Amendment and the promotion of environmentally sound management, and the future of the network. The Secretariat made a presentation on ongoing activities under the framework of the Basel Convention and expected discussions at COP 10. Development of tools for customs and prosecutors Besides cooperating with these and other organizations and networks, such as the World Customs Organization, Interpol and IMPEL Transfrontier Shipment, the Secretariat has continued its work on the development of additional global tools aimed at assisting Parties implement and enforce the Convention s provisions related to transboundary movements of wastes. Of particular relevance is the joint effort of the secretariats of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions to develop, in cooperation with the World Customs Organization, a joint e-learning tool for customs officers. This tool will address issues such as: general information about the three conventions, detection/screening/risk assessment, handling of hazardous wastes and chemicals, identification/classification of wastes and chemicals, the ship-back procedure/repatriation under the Basel Convention, and cooperation among relevant institutions. The development of this tool is expected to be completed by February In addition to this tool, and in line with decision VII/14 of the Open-Ended Working Group, entitled Enforcement of the Convention and efforts to combat illegal traffic, a small expert group has been convened under the chairmanship of Mrs. Christine Akello (Uganda) to develop, by electronic means, a draft instruction manual for the legal profession on the prosecution of illegal traffic based upon the draft outline prepared by the Secretariat, in addition to any proposals and comments provided by Parties and Signatories. This group is expected to report on the outcome of its work to COP 10. Fore more information, please contact: Ms. Juliette Voinov Kohler, Legal officer, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, tel: , juliette.kohler@unep.org Notification of national definitions of hazardous wastes and changes in definition: an update As at 15 March 2011, 23 Parties have transmitted their notifications to the Secretariat (article 3 and/or article 13(2) (b)): Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Canada, Chile, China, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Tunisia and Venezuela. 16

17 BCRC-Slovakia organizes a Regional Awareness-Raising workshop The Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for Central Europe in Slovakia (BCRC-Slovakia) organized a Regional Awareness-Raising Workshop on Enhancing Cooperation and Coordination for the Implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions in Central and Eastern Europe in Bratislava, Slovakia from 2 to 4 November The workshop was organized in close collaboration with the three conventions secretariats and UNITAR. Participants included representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The workshop was organized in the wake of the synergies decisions adopted by the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions which called for enhanced cooperation and coordination among the three conventions. The main aims of the workshop were to bring together experts to share their experiences on the implementation of the three conventions at the national and regional levels as well as to facilitate joint implementation of the conventions. The workshop also focused on how to successfully attract donor institutions. The overarching goal of the three conventions is the protection of human health and the environment against hazardous chemicals and wastes. The promotion of sustainable development as well as coordination and cooperation among the three conventions will contribute to the achievement of this goal. For more information, please contact: Ms. Dana Lapešová, Director, BCRC Slovakia, tel: , dana.lapesova@sazp.sk Notification of decision to prohibit the import of hazardous wastes or other wastes: an update As at 15 March 2011, 19 Parties to the Basel Convention have notified the Secretariat of their decisions not to consent totally or partially to the import of hazardous wastes or other wastes for disposal (articles 4(1) and 13(2)(c)): Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Mexico, Mozambique, Philippines, Serbia, Turkey, Uganda and Viet Nam. BCRC-Slovakia organizes a Regional Awareness-Raising workshop From Left to right: Ms. Dana Lapešová, Director, BCRC Slovakia; Ms. Elena Bodikova, Director, Waste Management Centre- Slovak Environmental Agency (WMC SEA); Mr. Vladimir Benko, Director General, Slovak Environmental Agency; Mr. Branislav Cimerman, Deputy Minister, Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic; Mr. Tarcisio Hardman Reis, Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention; Mr. Craig Boljkovac, UNITAR. Photo: BCRC-Slovakia The First Exhibition and Conference on Tire and Rubber Recycling and the Environment in Tehran The First Exhibition and Conference on Tire and Rubber Recycling and the Environment was held from 29 to 30 June 2010 in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. It was organized by the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer in Tehran (BCRC-Tehran) in partnership with the Rubber Industries Engineering and Research Company. Over 300 persons and more than 25 companies were in attendance. The Conference aimed at promoting the environmentally sound management of used tyres and exchanging technologies and knowledge on this issue. 73 conference articles dealing with waste management and environmental influences; recycling methods; and recycling products and their applicants were received. Mr. Mohammadizadeh, Iran s Vice President and Head of Iran s Department of Environment made opening remarks. Ms. Katharina Kummer Peiry, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Basel Convention transmitted a video message congratulating Mr. Soroush Modabberi, Director, BCRC-Tehran for such a timely and important initiative. She remarked that such public-private partnerships offer a significant opportunity whereby the private sector can work effectively together with public sector in bringing issues forward. There are many potential negative effects if used tyres are not managed in an environmentally sound manner. However, the used 17

18 BASEL CONVENTION BULLETIN March 2011 tyres are a valuable secondary raw material and an increasingly number of companies across the world use recycling techniques to extract all the valuable materials that are contained in used tyres. This reduces the negative impacts of the environment of the improper management of used tyres and leads to the production of a product that has a market value, which in turn creates business opportunities and much needed employment. Used tyres and their management is one of the important issues under consideration by the Parties to the Basel Convention. At the seventh session of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention, work continued on the technical guidelines on the environmentally sound management of used tyres. These guidelines will be submitted to COP 10 for its consideration. For more information, please contact: Mr. Soroush Modabberi, Director, BCRC-Tehran, Tel: , s_modabberi@yahoo.com, s.modabberi@bcrc.ir The Advisory Committee approves ambitious programme for Join the activities of the PCBs Elimination Network (PEN) the Stockholm Convention. To join the PEN, simply sign up through the PEN page of the Stockholm Convention website and your profile will be activated in the PEN tool ( The Secretariat of the Basel Convention is an important partner in the PEN, including providing input to the Advisory Committee for the PEN. The network benefits from the expertise of the Basel Convention and promotes the use of the technical guidelines and other existing guidance on PCBs. In November 2010, the Advisory Committee met and approved workplans for the four thematic groups: inventories of PCBs; maintenance, handling, and interim storage of equipment containing PCBs; disposal of PCBs; and PCBs in open applications. The report of the meeting is available on the PEN page of the Stockholm Convention website. The PEN has published its first magazine in six languages, a 120- page document on inventories of PCBs. Electronic copies are available for download from the abovementioned website. The Polychlorinated Biphenyls Elimination Network (PEN) is an equal partnership for stakeholders from different sectors with an interest in the environmentally sound management (ESM) of PCBs. It is designed to promote collaboration and information exchange on PCBs, to foster cooperation, and to promote technical assistance and technology transfer. The membership of the PEN is open to anyone interested in ESM of PCBs and the network aims to facilitate information exchange to achieve the 2025/2028 goals of The PEN Awards were established to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of PEN members to ESM of PCBs. The closing date for the nominations for the Awards is 1 March The award ceremony will take place on 25 April 2011, in Geneva, during fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention. Please visit 2011 Stockholm Convention s PEN Awards on the PEN page of the Stockholm Convention website. For more information, please contact: Mr. Robert Bechtloff, Programme officer, Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention, tel: , rbechtloff@pops.int 18

19 Safe Planet Safe Planet: The United Nations Campaign for Responsibility on Hazardous Chemicals and Wastes is the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)-led global public awareness and outreach campaign for ensuring the safety of human health and the environment against hazardous chemicals and wastes. The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, the three leading global chemicals and waste management treaties, provide concrete measures, new initiatives and viable solutions to deal with the growing problems of hazardous chemicals and wastes. Safe Planet supports the life-cycle approach to chemicals and waste management, working towards solutions to the challenges posed by hazardous chemicals and wastes. The campaign also seeks to involve people working at all levels of society in action to ensure the safe and environmentally sound management of hazardous chemicals and wastes. Participants include governments, industry, academia, community-led initiatives, grassroots organizations, individual households and consumers. The campaign was born out of the ongoing synergies process among the chemicals and wastes conventions. This process, as well as the campaign, is intended to improve and facilitate cooperation and coordination in management of chemicals and wastes at the national, regional and global levels. Safe Planet was launched in February 2010, at a special event the United Nations Body Burden Forum held during the simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions. These meetings were also held backto-back with the eleventh special session of the UNEP Governing Council in Bali, Indonesia. Upcoming Basel Convention meetings Eighth session of the Committee for Administering the Mechanism for Promoting the Implementation and Compliance of the Basel Convention, International Environment House 1 (IEH1 /MIE1), Geneva, Switzerland, March Second meeting of the Expanded Bureau of the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, International Environment House 1 (IEH1 / MIE1), Geneva, Switzerland, March Joint meeting of the Bureaux of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, International Environment House 1 (IEH1 /MIE1), Geneva, Switzerland, 26 March Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, October 2011 For more information, please go to Since its launch, the Safe Planet campaign has obtained partners worldwide. The events and exhibits organized through the campaign have been covered by both mainstream and new social media. Participants have collaborated in arts, culture, sports, science, education, business and politics to call and motivate governments, industry, community and individual stakeholders to action. For more information, please contact: Mr. Michael Stanley-Jones, Public Information Officer, secretariats of the Stockholm and Rotterdam conventions, tel: , mstanleyjones@pops.int 19

20 xxxxx xxx The Secretariat of the Basel Convention has recently published a report entitled, Waste without frontiers: Global trends in generation and transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and other wastes. The report provides the analysis of the data contained in the national reports, which were transmitted by Parties to the Basel Convention to the Secretariat for the years If you wish to receive a copy of this publication, please contact the Secretariat at the address at the bottom of this page. All Basel Convention publications and other information materials are available at: Basel Convention Bulletin Secretariat of the Basel Convention UNEP/SBC International Environment House I Chemin des Anémones CH-1219 Châtelaine Geneva, Switzerland Contact: Nalini Basavaraj Information Officer 20 Tel: Fax: nalini.basavaraj@unep.org