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Basel Convention

Bulletin September 2011

Editorial

Dear Reader,

The tenth meeting of the Conference of the

Parties (COP 10) to the Basel Convention is

the first of my term of service as the Executive

Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and

Stockholm Conventions.

I enter into this meeting with a special degree

of excitement, which I confess I had not felt

with the Stockholm and Rotterdam COPs held

earlier this year. In Cartagena, I will be sailing

into what are for me new, less chartered

waters.

Devoted to the theme “Prevention,

minimization and recovery of wastes”,

COP 10 presents new perspectives on the

environmentally sound management of

hazardous wastes. Parties will investigate

ways in which the Basel Convention could help

turn wastes into valuable resources, so as to

create green business and job opportunities,

while protecting human health, livelihood, and

the environment.

Even as we learn to value certain end-of-life

materials as potential economic resources

for future production, we are taking care

to promote upstream the prevention and

minimization of wastes as part of any holistic

solution to the waste management challenge.

Looking ahead to the Rio+20

to be held in Brazil in June

2012, opportunities abound

to advance the chemicals

and waste agenda. The

environmentally sound

management of hazardous

wastes can contribute

powerfully to addressing

the inequities of the current

global waste management

regime, which unduly impact the poor in

developing countries and countries with

economies in transition.

Our task in Rio will be to demonstrate that

successful implementation of the three leading

global chemicals and waste conventions

supports achieving the United Nations

Millennium Development Goals of eliminating

poverty, empowering women, reducing

child mortality by two-thirds, and ensuring

environmental sustainability by 2015.

I am very honoured to be joining you in

Cartagena de Indias. Together with your

support, I am looking forward to a successful

voyage ahead.

Jim Willis

Executive Secretary

Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

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Contents

Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

COP 10 of the Basel Convention: Promoting prevention, minimization and recycling of wastes as a concrete input to Rio 2012? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties: An overview of key issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

E-waste– �Fourth Physical Meeting of the Partnership for Action on

Computing Equipment (PACE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

– �Update on activities under the e-waste Africa project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

– �Regional Training Workshop on the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of E-waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

– �International Workshop on Hazardous Substances within the Life-cycle of Electrical and Electronic Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Mercury– �Minimization and environmentally sound management of

mercury containing waste in Uruguay and Argentina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Compliance and National Reporting– �Update on the work of the Implementation and Compliance

Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

– �National Reporting and Inventory Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Enforcement– �Regional Training Workshop on Implementation and Enforcement

of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

– �Cooperation on enforcement and illegal traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Synergies– �Joint meeting of the Bureaux of the Basel, Rotterdam and

Stockholm Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

– �Fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

– �Fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

– �Pacific Regional Training Workshop on Joint Implementation of the Waigani, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions 16

– �Regional Awareness-Raising Workshop on Enhancing Cooperation and Coordination for the Implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

International Cooperation– �Cooperation activities with International Telecommunication

Union (ITU) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

– �Initiative for ODS and POPs Banks Destruction in Central America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

– �Cooperation with UNEP/OCHA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

News from BCRCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Basel Convention Bulletin – September 2011

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COP 10 of the Basel Convention: Promoting prevention, minimization and recycling of wastes as a concrete input to Rio 2012?

Today’s political discussion recognizes the need for mutual

supportiveness of economic development, environmental

management and social factors including poverty reduction. This

in many ways is at the core of the run up to the Rio+20 conference

in June 2012 under its twin themes of a Green Economy in the

context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and

an institutional framework for sustainable development.

The tenth meeting of the conference of the Parties to the Basel

Convention (COP 10) will focus on the theme “Prevention,

minimization and recovery of wastes”, as proposed by the Host

Government, Colombia. This presents a unique opportunity for

the COP to bring about a paradigm shift in the Basel Convention,

and at the same time to present to the Rio+20 conference a

concrete example of how transformative environmental action

can deliver important economic and social outcomes.

While waste was once regarded solely as an unwanted byproduct

of modern societies and their industrial activity, awareness

of the multiple benefits of waste prevention as well as waste

recycling and resource recovery is now emerging. If managed

in an environmentally sound manner, the extraction of valuable

secondary raw material from wastes can create green business

opportunities and decent jobs for millions of often young

people throughout the developing world, thus playing a part in

eradicating poverty.

In addition, scarce and valuable materials such as rare earth

metals can be conserved, as can the biosphere of areas where

such metals are being mined. There are in short significant

economic incentives for engaging in such operations, already

being realized in many countries when allied to supportive and

smart public policies.

Finally, recycling of certain types of wastes also contributes to the

reduction of greenhouse gases because significantly less energy

is used when compared with primary mining.

The Basel Convention was adopted over 20 years ago in

response to uncontrolled dumping of hazardous wastes from the

industrialized world in developing countries. Accordingly, its main

focus has long been seen as protecting developing countries from

unwanted waste imports.

Today, the protection of vulnerable countries remains as important

as ever. At the same time, if the Convention is to retain its relevance

in the 21st century it is necessary to identify a practical approach

that provides protection to countries that need it, while at the same

time supporting the realization of the economic incentives and

benefits of environmentally sound recycling and resource recovery

operations in those countries that are in a position to do so.

The 1995 Ban Amendment is a centerpiece of the Basel

architecture: it recognizes the fact that there are differing

capacities between countries to manage hazardous wastes.

Twenty years ago, there was a clear differentiation between

North and South in terms of hazardous waste generation and

capacity to manage recovery efforts in a sustainable manner.

The reality today is different. Technologies are evolving rapidly

in terms of products, waste streams, and recovery processes. The

respective capacities of countries change over time, as do their

interests and needs. Already, developing countries are exporting

their hazardous wastes to developed countries for processing.

Some developing countries are exporting their wastes to other

developing countries with better capacities and facilities.

The entry into force of the Ban Amendment will allow Parties to

address changes to the existing legal regime to accommodate

such new developments and realities.

Achim Steiner


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Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties: An overview of key issues

The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10), taking

place from 17 to 21 October 2011, is expected to be a highlight

in the history of the Basel Convention. Not only will it take place

in the beautiful city of Cartagena, Colombia, maintaining the high

standard set by Indonesia in hosting COP 9 in Bali. COP 10 will

also have a particularly important role in determining the future of

the Convention.

As eloquently evoked by the Executive Director in his lead article,

COP 10 presents a unique opportunity to achieve a paradigm shift,

positioning waste management as a model area for achieving an

environmentally and socially sound economy. By so doing, COP

10 could make a concrete contribution to Rio+20. It may adopt

a Declaration giving concrete content to the theme of the COP:

“Prevention, Minimization and Recovery of Wastes”.

New Strategic Framework

As decided by COP 9, the new Strategic Framework for 2012-2021

should enable the Basel Convention to highlight the links between

waste management and the achievement of the Millennium

In tandem with the entry into force of the Ban Amendment, there

is a need strengthen the Basel regime to balance obligations

and commitments for generators and exporters as well as for

importers and waste processers. Upstream, countries must commit

to minimizing and preventing the generation of waste, in keeping

with the Basel Convention, while downstream there is a need to

enable rigorous environmentally and socially responsible waste

management.

The establishment of an effective and adequate regime under the

Basel Convention would require putting in place a robust technical

architecture as well as ensuring solid linkages with other relevant

UN initiatives on sustainable consumption and production in order

to promote prevention and minimization of waste generation.

In doing so, governments in Colombia have a golden opportunity

to promote a transition to a low carbon, resource efficient Green

Economy and improved sustainable management of the planet in

respect to wastes and related challenges.

Achim SteinerUN Under-Secretary-General andUNEP Executive Director

Development Goals. The draft before COP 10 is the product of

intensive discussions and negotiations, including at the seventh

session of the Open-ended working Group in May 2010. It sets

out a vision, guiding principles, strategic goals and objectives, as

well as means of implementation and indicators of achievement.

The Strategic Framework will hopefully help Parties transpose the

theme of the COP into concrete work at all levels.

Indonesian-Swiss Country Led Initiative to improve

the effectiveness of the Convention

Linked in substance with the Strategic Framework is the outcome

of the so-called Country-Led Initiative (CLI) by Indonesia and

Switzerland. Launched in response to the call of the President of

COP 9 to find a way out of the controversy surrounding the Ban

Amendment, the CLI proposes a set of measures to this end. Their

adoption could constitute a historic step towards a solution after

over 15 years of blockage.

Basel Convention Regional and Coordinating

Centres (BCRCs)

COP 10 is expected to decide on means to strengthen the BCRCs, a

strategic framework to ensure their financial sustainability, and a set

of indicators to measure their performance. In accordance with the

wish of the Parties, the Secretariat in recent years has progressively

supported BCRCs as executing agencies for capacity building

projects, along with providing assistance for strengthening their

capacity. Several BCRCs now are successfully carrying out projects

in excess of a million US dollars, in direct cooperation with donors.

Implementation and Compliance Committee

The Implementation and Compliance Committee over the past few

years evolved into a very active body. Not only has it elaborated

a number of instruments to assist Parties in matters such as

combating illegal traffic and fulfilling their National Reporting

obligations. Over the past triennium, the Committee has also, for

the first time, considered difficulties faced by individual Parties in

the implementation of the Convention.

Activating the Secretariat’s “trigger” function (bringing difficulties

with compliance to the Committee’s attention), the Committee

focused in an initial phase on Parties having difficulties with national

reporting, in light of the steadily decreasing reporting rates.

Partnerships and Capacity Building

PACE, the key partnership of the Basel Convention, has become

the universally recognized multistakeholder forum addressing

the management of obsolete computing equipment. Numerous

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governments, private sector actors and IGOs have joined the

partnership. PACE develops guidelines and implements pilot

projects on the ground. COP 10 is expected to decide on the

future development of PACE and other elements of the Partnership

Programme.

As regards capacity building, the Secretariat is forging partnerships

with organizations having the capacity and mandate to implement

large-scale projects, facilitating inclusion of waste management

into their programmes. The planned representation at COP 10 of

a number of partner organizations bears testimony to the success

of this approach.

Budget

In these times of global economic difficulties, the challenge of

making available sufficient funding to continue strengthening the

Basel Convention, while considering the reality of ever decreasing

public funds, will be particularly strong. In this regard, promoting

environmentally sound waste management as an economic

opportunity could provide a new angle: should certain operations

become self-funded through market mechanisms, there could be

less need for fundraising in the future.

Synergies

Last but not least, COP 10 will, after the meetings of the COPs

of the Stockholm and Rotterdam conventions earlier this year,

consider a set of measures to further strengthen synergies between

the three conventions, following up on the relevant decisions taken

by the joint simultaneous extraordinary meetings of these 3 COPs

in Bali, Indonesia in February 2010.

Katharina Kummer PeiryExecutive Secretary Secretariat of the Basel Convention

Katharina Kummer Peiry

The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal

The meeting will be hosted by the Government of Colombia

and will take place at the Cartagena de Indias Convention

Centre (CCCI) in the city of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

The meeting will be opened at 10 a.m. on Monday,

17 October, and conclude on Friday, 21 October 2011.

The theme of COP 10 is “Prevention, minimization and

recovery of wastes”.

Please visit the website of the Basel Convention

(www.basel.int) for more information.


6

Participants of the Fourth Physical Meeting of PACE.

E-wasteFourth Physical Meeting of the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PACE)

One of the most successful PACE meetings was held from 6 to

8 June 2011 at the offices of the United States Environmental

Protection Agency (USEPA) in Washington DC, USA. The meeting

was attended by 42 participants from 10 Parties and Signatories,

8 Basel Convention Regional and Coordinating Centres (BCRCs),

the Secretariat of the Basel Convention (SBC), international

organizations, industry, academic institutions and non-

governmental organizations (NGOs). The meeting was opened by

Mr. Robert Dellinger, Director of the Material Recovery and Waste

Management Division of the USEPA, and Ms. Katharina Kummer

Peiry, Executive Secretary of SBC.

The co-chair of the PACE Working Group, Mr. Marco Buletti of

Switzerland, led the discussion on the preparation of documents

on PACE for COP 10.

Agreement was reached on all of the issues in the overall guidance

document on the environmentally sound management of used and

end-of-life computing equipment. The guidance document will be

submitted for the consideration of Parties at COP 10.

During the second day of the meeting, the project groups on

pilot projects and on awareness-raising and training made good

progress: it was decided to select one country for a pilot project

on the collection and management of used computing equipment

from the informal sector; a draft film on management of e-waste

was shown; the approved PACE logo was displayed; and 2

BCRCs - the Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for Training

and Technology Transfer for the Asia and Pacific Region (BCRC-

China) and the Basel Convention Regional Center for Training and

Technology Transfer for Central Europe (BCRC-Slovakia) - were

selected to launch training workshops on PACE products.

The day after the meeting, the PACE Working Group met with Original

Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to share information on PACE and

to discuss the potential future involvement of OEMs in PACE.

For further information, please contact Mr. Matthias Kern, Chief,

Implementation and Capacity Building Unit, Secretariat of the

Basel Convention, email: [email protected].

Status of ratifications (as at 9 September 2011)

The Basel Convention welcomes Iraq and Palau as new Parties. There are now 177 Parties to the Basel Convention.

70 Parties have ratified the Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention, the most recent of which is Zambia.

10 Parties have ratified the Basel Protocol on Liability and Compensation.

7

Update on activities under the e-waste Africa project

The first African national training workshop in the framework of

the Basel Convention e-waste Africa project took place from 25

to 27 July 2011 in Tema, Ghana. The workshop was organized by

the Environment Protection Agency of Ghana together with the

European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement

of Environmental Law (IMPEL), the Basel Convention Coordinating

Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the African Region

(BCCC-Nigeria), and SBC. The organizers also collaborated with

Ghana Ports and Harbors Authorities, Ghana Customs, Excise and

Preventive Service and the Ports Environmental Network Africa, in

arranging the workshop.

The training focused on issues relevant to effective inspection and

enforcement of e-waste related legislation, such as inspection

methods and classification criteria for e-waste, inter-agency

collaboration and intervention procedures. Information on

port procedures and developments at the national level were

presented, which included discussion of the draft national policy

and guidelines on the import of e-waste, scheduled to enter into

force in January 2013.

During the workshop, participants also had the opportunity to visit

the Container Terminal of Africa in Tema. Following an explanation

from customs on the handling procedures at the port, a container

with goods from Europe was inspected by the participants. The

container was loaded with many secondhand electrical items

such as televisions, computers and refrigerators: some of these

were noticeably obsolete, while some items were more difficult

to classify as e-waste (for example, televisions with their cables

removed). Following this demonstration, the participants discussed

the challenges of distinguishing between used e-products and

e-waste.

Similar training workshops are scheduled for Benin and Nigeria in

September, and for Egypt in early October 2011.

For further information, please contact Ms. Tatiana Terekhova,

Programme Officer, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, e-mail:

tatiana.terekhova @unep.org

Regional Training Workshop on the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of E-waste

A regional training workshop on the ESM of e-waste was held from

19 to 21 April 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop focused

on the repair, refurbishment and reconditioning of used electrical

and electronic equipment and the recycling and final disposal of

e-waste. This was the second such workshop to take place in the

region: the first workshop was held in Jakarta, Indonesia in July

2010, focusing on the collection and dismantling of e-waste.

The Bangkok workshop was attended by 63 participants from

countries in the region, SBC, the Basel Convention Regional Centre

for Training and Technology Transfer for Southeast Asia (BCRC-

SEA), BCRC-China, the Basel Convention Regional Centre for

Training and Technology Transfer in Tehran (BCRC-Iran), academia

and industry.

Workshop discussions were initially focused on the technical

guidelines on the ESM of e-waste developed by BCRC-SEA

in 2007, and practical experiences from the participating

international organizations, governments, industry and academia.

One participant shared experience in relation to extended producer

responsibility, while another described a partnership that had

been developed between the government of Thailand and the

informal sector to promote the ESM of e-waste. An update was Port visit in Tema: e-waste training workshop in Ghana.


8

also provided on the current implementation status of the ESM of

E-Waste in Asia-Pacific Programme and on the finalization of the

guidance document on the environmentally sound management of

used and end-of-life computing equipment by the Partnership for

Action on Computing Equipment (PACE).

Participants of the meeting were split into two groups: in the first

of which participating countries considered cases of success and

failure related to the implementation of e-waste management

strategies at the country level. The second group brought together

representatives from each participating country, including

representatives of government, academia and research institutions,

to determine the breadth of the e-waste management problem in

their respective countries and to agree on important points which

need to be addressed in developing national action plans. It is

expected that the results of these discussions will be taken into

account during the development of national action plans in each

country. On the final day of the workshop, participants visited a

centre for the recycling of Fuji Xerox products in the Asia-Pacific

region, located in Chonburi Province.

For further information, please contact Mr. Dadan Wardhana,


[email protected]

International Workshop on Hazardous Substances within the Life-cycle of Electrical and Electronic Products

The workshop was convened by SBC, the Secretariat of the

Stockholm Convention and the United Nations Industrial

Development Organization (UNIDO), pursuant to resolution II/4

section D adopted by the International Conference on Chemicals

Management (ICCM) at its second session in May 2009 concerning

hazardous substances within the life-cycle of electrical and

electronic products (e-products).

A Workshop Steering Group deliberated and developed, through

teleconferences, the objectives of the workshop, and its expected

outputs and a provisional agenda, as well as identifying participants

and speakers, identifying the venue and logistical needs, financial

aspects etc.

The workshop took place from 29 to 31 March 2011 at UNIDO

Headquarters, Vienna International Centre, Vienna, Austria. More

than 90 participants comprising representatives of governments,

industry, civil society, intergovernmental organizations and

academia attended. The workshop was made possible through

the financial support received from Japan, Sweden, and USEPA.

UNIDO, which hosted the workshop, provided the logistical support

and meeting facilities at its headquarters in Vienna.

At the workshop, sessions were conducted both in plenary and

working groups - covering upstream, midstream and downstream

issues on e-products. The working groups were tasked with coming

up with ideas or recommendations on how to best address the

issues concerning the life-cycle of hazardous substances in

e-products, including looking at gaps and potential for synergies.

The final report and recommendations of this workshop were

submitted to the Secretariat of the Strategic Approach to

International Chemicals Management (SAICM) and to be presented

to the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) of SAICM, which is

planned to meet from 15 to 18 November 2011 in Belgrade, Serbia.

For key messages from the workshop, please see the box in page 9.

The workshop was hailed as an historic event as for the first time

experts from around the world gathered to make recommendations

for a United Nations process on reducing and eliminating hazardous

chemicals in the design, manufacturing, and end-of-life stages of

e-products.

Full report of the workshop is available in document SAICM/

RM/LAC.3/INF/12 (available at this link: http://www.saicm.org/index.php?content=meeting&mid=130&def=4&menuid=)

and also at http://www.basel.int/techmatters/wrks-eew-unido/FinalReport-25-05-2011.doc.

For further information, please contact Mr. Ibrahim Shafii, Chief,

Programme Support Unit, Secretariat of the Basel Convention,

e-mail: [email protected]

9

• Preventing harm to human health and the environment from hazardous substances in the life-cycle of electrical and electronic products is essential.

• The life-cycle approach in the sound management of chemicals found in electrical and electronic products is of key importance.

• The expected growth in the electrical and electronic sector and the need for its long-term sustainability will require making parallel and proportional improvements in environmental, health and safety, and social justice attributes.

• Solutions are most efficiently and effectively accomplished upstream and addressing problems upstream can significantly and positively impact other parts of the life-cycle.

• An increased pace to implement green design and the phase-out of hazardous substances contained in electrical and electronic products is required.

• The improvement of transparency with respect to information on hazardous substances used in electrical and electronic products for all stakeholders involved in the life-cycle, including consumers, workers, and in communities around manufacturing and disposal sites is necessary.

• It is important to equally protect consumer, worker and community health throughout the life-cycle of electrical and electronic products.

• The urgent need to reverse the disproportionate burdening faced by developing countries during the more damaging phases of the life-cycle of electrical and electronic products, including manufacture, trade, waste handling and management, is recognized.

• The export of hazardous electrical and electronic waste from developed to developing countries and countries with economies in transition need to be prevented; and export and import of near-end-of-life electrical and electronic products should be controlled.

• The development and implementation of effective policy and regulatory frameworks and techniques for the safe and environmentally sound management of electrical and electronic waste, and for the remediation of contaminated sites should be encouraged.

• The development and implementation of best practices and capacity for safe and environmentally sound recycling, including those fractions that are currently not recycled or for which capacity is inadequate, is needed.

• The different needs of certain regions, e.g. Small Islands Developing States, should be taken into account.

• Countries should ratify the Stockholm Convention, the Rotterdam Convention, the Basel Convention, the Basel Ban Amendment, ILO conventions and other relevant instruments and transpose these into national laws and implement them.

Key messages of the International Workshop on Hazardous Substances within the Life-cycle of Electrical and Electronic Products

At this workshop a series of recommendations on upstream, midstream and downstream issues have been developed. The participants of this workshop recognized the following:

From left to right: Mr. Donald Cooper, Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention and Co-Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention; Mr. Ibrahim Shafii, Chief, Programme Support Unit, Secretariat of the Basel Convention; Mr. Oladele Osibanjo, Director, BCCC-Nigeria.


10

On 16 and 24 August 2011, national workshops were organised in

Montevideo, Uruguay, and Buenos Aires, Argentina respectively, to

disseminate among national authorities the results of the project

entitled “Minimization and environmentally sound management

of mercury containing waste in Latin America and the Caribbean

in the context of the implementation of the Basel Convention”.

The meeting provided the opportunity to present the national

plans for ESM and minimization of mercury wastes developed in

Argentina and Uruguay. The experience gained under the project in

developing national plans has been compiled in a training manual

for the preparation of ESM plans for mercury waste aimed at

policy makers and governmental officers. The manual also includes

recommendations on low cost options for the storage of mercury

waste from the chlor-alkali industry. In the context of this project,

Argentina also developed an inventory of mercury wastes for the

industrial sector, with Uruguay developing a similar inventory for

both the industrial and health sectors.

The project was funded by USEPA and the governments of Norway

and Spain through the Basel Convention Technical Cooperation

Trust Fund. It was implemented by the Basel Convention

Coordinating Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for Latin

America and Caribbean Region (BCCC-Uruguay), in cooperation

with the Ministry of Environment of Uruguay (DINAMA) and the

Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology

Transfer for the South American Region (BCRC–Argentina).

Implementation of the project is ongoing in Costa Rica in

cooperation with the Ministry of Health and will be finalized by

the end of 2011.

For further information, please contact Ms. Gabriela Medina

[email protected] at BCCC-Uruguay and

Ms. Francesca Cenni, Programme Officer, Secretariat of the Basel

Convention, email: [email protected]

Compliance and National ReportingUpdate on the work of the Implementation and Compliance Committee

The eighth session of the Committee for Administering the

Mechanism for Promoting the Implementation and Compliance of

the Basel Convention (the “Committee”) took place from 21 to 23

March 2011 in Geneva. The Committee completed consideration of

its 2009-2011 programme of work, which includes consideration

of specific submissions regarding individual Party implementation

and compliance, as well as the review of several general issues of

implementation and compliance.

Specific submissions

The Committee gave priority to dealing with specific submissions.

The Committee had before it, and for the first time since its

establishment, 10 specific submissions: one submission from

Oman, and nine submissions from the Secretariat focusing on

Parties that have never submitted a national report (Bhutan, Cape

Verde, Eritrea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,

Nicaragua, Swaziland and Togo).

Linked to the issue of the specific submissions, the Committee

considered how to address existing shortcomings and limitations

in relation to the lack of specific submissions to the Committee. The

Committee agreed to recommend that COP 10 extend the scope of

the Secretariat trigger. The Committee also agreed to recommend

that the COP confer a triggering role to the Committee. The

Committee is also seeking from the COP 10 the authorization to

direct the use of contributions to the implementation fund to assist

individual Parties concerned by a specific submission in the event

that facilitative measures appear to not be sufficient to resolve the

compliance matter.

General review

The Committee agreed on recommendations pertaining to several

general issues of implementation and compliance. On illegal traffic,

the Committee agreed to recommend that the COP 10 establish a

partnership on preventing and combating illegal traffic with a focus

on capacity building (development of tools, training materials,

hosting workshops and information exchange). The Committee

also considered several national reporting issues, including the

development of a benchmark national report.

MercuryMinimization and environmentally sound management of mercury-containing waste in Uruguay and Argentina

11

For the report of the meeting, please visit: http://www.basel.int/legalmatters/compcommitee/reports/cc08_25e.pdf

For further information, please contact Ms. Juliette Voinov Kohler,

Policy and Legal Advisor, Secretariat of the Basel Convention,


National Reporting and Inventory Workshops

The Secretariat of the Basel Convention, organized two National

Reporting and Inventory Workshops in 2011: one with the

Africa Institute for the Environmentally Sound Management of

Hazardous and Other Wastes (the “Africa Institute” ) in Pretoria,

South Africa and the other with BCRC-Slovakia in Bratislava,

Slovakia.

Both workshops covered different topics related to the area of

national reporting under Article 13 of the Basel Convention. The

Participants of the National Reporting and Inventory Workshop, Bratislava, Slovakia.

Participants of the eighth session of the Implementation and Compliance Committee.

events included presentations, discussions and group exercises

on waste definition and classification, national inventory and

national reporting from the Secretariat viewpoint, as well as from

the national level perspective.

The workshop held in Pretoria from 24 to 26 May 2011, was

dedicated mainly to English and French-speaking African Parties

to the Convention. Representatives of twenty different African

countries took part in the event. The main outcome of this

workshop was a list of actions in the areas of legislation, national

inventories, system development and implementation, and the

role of customs and enforcement agencies. Participants, together

with experts, discussed the actions needed and identified the

potential actors for each of them.

The workshop held in Bratislava, from 27 to 28 June 2011, was

dedicated to Central and Eastern European countries (CEE), which

included both members and non-members of the European Union.

Thirty two representatives of various CEE countries attended the

event. Besides the presentations from the experts, each country


12

was invited to give a short presentation about the implementation

of the Basel Convention at the national level. In the second day of

the event, there were group discussions on issues in the areas of

waste classification and definition, national inventory and customs

and enforcement officers. Similar to the workshop in Pretoria,

participants and experts identified the actions needed and the

potential actors for each of them.

These events served as opportunities for the Parties in both regions

to share experiences and to learn with each other in the covered

thematic areas.

The European Commission and SBC funded the workshop in South

Africa and the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange

instrument of the European Commission (TAIEX) funded the

workshop in Bratislava.

The Secretariat is now working on the organization of two other

regional workshops on national reporting covering countries from

the Latin America and Caribbean as well as the Asia and Pacific

regions.

For further information, please contact: Ms. Carla Valle-Klann,


[email protected]

EnforcementRegional Training Workshop on Implementation and Enforcement of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago developed an integrated legal framework

to transpose into national legislation the Basel, Rotterdam and

Stockholm Conventions, leading by example in the synergy process

at the national level.

“There has been a move to promote cooperation and collaboration between these three conventions which deal in substance with hazardous waste and hazardous chemicals. This project workshop activity is certainly intended to contribute to that overall goal.”

(Dr. Joth Singh – Managing Director/CEO, Environmental

Management Authority, Trinidad and Tobago)

From 12 to 13 July 2011, representatives from twelve Small Island

Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean region gathered in

Trinidad and Tobago for a regional workshop aimed at strengthening

the legislative, regulatory and enforcement capacity of Trinidad and

Tobago and other SIDS in the Caribbean region. The workshop

provided the opportunity to share the experience of Trinidad

and Tobago in the development of national legislation intended

to implement the three conventions and build a harmonized

legal framework for the control of transboundary movements

Participants of the National Reporting and Inventory Workshop in Pretoria, South Africa.

13

of hazardous chemicals and wastes at the national level. This

experience was shared among conventions focal points, competent

authorities and enforcement officers, including customs officers and

legal officers of the region. The regional workshop closed a project

carried out with close collaboration between the Environmental

Management Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, SBC and the Basel

Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for

the Caribbean region (BCRC-Trinidad and Tobago). The project was

funded by the Quick Start Programme Trust Fund of SAICM.

The topics of the workshop included the use of tools for the

development of legal frameworks implementing the three

conventions, a draft tool to conduct a gaps and needs analysis for

the coordinated implementation of the three conventions, customs

training in the framework of the Green Customs Initiative, national

reporting obligations and guidance for prosecutors under the Basel

Convention.

For more information on this project, please contact Ms. Susan

Wingfield, Programme officer, e-mail: [email protected] (technical assistance) or Ms. Francesca Cenni, Programme Officer,

email: [email protected] (enforcement projects), Secretariat

of the Basel Convention.

Instruction manual for the legal profession on the prosecution of illegal trafficThe small expert group convened under the Chairmanship

of Mrs. Christine Akello (Uganda) has completed its work

and is submitting to the COP 10 a draft instruction manual

for the legal profession on the prosecution of illegal traffic.

(http://www.basel.int/meetings/frsetmain.php).

For further information, please contact Ms. Juliette Voinov

Kohler ([email protected])

Cooperation on enforcement and illegal traffic

Cooperation with organizations active in preventing and combating

illegal traffic has continued, with different levels of involvement

ranging from information sharing to the development of tools and

the delivery of training activities.

The Secretariat of the Basel Convention made contributions

during several meetings organized by its partners:

• Symposium for judges and prosecutors on tackling illegal

trade in ozone depleting substances organized by UNEP

(9 -10 June 2011, Paris, France) (http://www.unep.org/ozonaction/News/Features/2011/UNEPinvolvesjudgesandprosecutors/tabid/56120/Default.aspx);

• 30th session of the Enforcement Committee of the World

Customs Organization (WCO) (21-25 March 2011, Brussels,

Belgium);

• Meeting of the Waste Shipment Compliance and Enforcement

Platform (8 May 2011, Brussels, Belgium);

• 2011 Annual meeting of the European Network for the

Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law

Transfrontier Shipment (IMPEL TFS) (5-7 April 2011, Kassel,

Germany) (http://impel.eu/news/impel-tfs-conference);

• International Network on Environmental Compliance

and Enforcement (INECE) 9th international conference

(20-24 June 2011, in British Columbia, Canada) (http://inece.org/conference/9/); and

• Informal meeting of the INECE Seaport Environmental Security

Network (SESN) (18 May 2011, Brussels, Belgium).

Training activities for customs, jointly delivered with the

secretariats of the Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions,

took place in the framework of the Green Customs Initiative

(www.greencustoms.org/workshops) and in the following

countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominican Republic, Fiji,

Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, Maldives,

Mongolia, Niger, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab

Republic, Turkmenistan and United Arab Emirates.

The development of the training tool for customs on hazardous

chemicals and wastes, jointly elaborated with the secretariats

of the Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions and the WCO, is

now well under way, with completion expected by mid-2012. In

addition, the three secretariats are cooperating with INTERPOL

towards the development of an e-learning tool for police.





14

Fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention

The fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 5) to

the Stockholm Convention was held from 25 to 29 April 2011

in Geneva, Switzerland. It’s theme, Stockholm at 10: Chemical Challenges, Sustainable Solutions, marked the 10th anniversary of

the adoption of the Convention.

Under the presidency of Mr. Karel Blaha (Czech Republic), the

Parties agreed on 29 decisions to promote global action against

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Most notably, the Conference

decided to add endosulfan to the list of POPs to be eliminated

worldwide by including it in Annex A to the Convention, with

specific exemptions. This action puts the widely-used pesticide on

course for elimination from the global market by 2012.

Related to the work of the Basel Convention, the Parties requested

the Basel Convention to establish the low POPs content for the

chemicals newly listed under the Stockholm Convention1, to

determine environmentally sound disposal methods for those

substances and to update, if needed, the general technical

guidelines for the environmentally sound management of POPs

wastes. The Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention is to

consider the involvement of experts of the Stockholm Convention

in this work.

1 Alpha hexachlorocyclohexane, beta hexachlorocyclohexane, chlordecone, endosulfan, hexabromobiphenyl, hexabromodiphenyl ether and heptabromodiphenyl ether, lindane, pentabromodiphenyl ether and tetrabromodiphenyl ether, pentachlorobenzene and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride

SynergiesJoint meeting of the Bureaux of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

The Bureaux of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam

and Stockholm conventions met jointly on 26 March 2011

in Geneva, Switzerland.

An update on the UNEP consultative process on financing options

for chemicals and wastes was presented. Information regarding

this initiative could be accessed at http://www.unep.org/dec/Chemical_Financing/index.asp

The Secretariat informed the Bureaux on progress made on the

implementation of the omnibus and synergies decisions. The issues

on the substantive items relating to the omnibus and synergy

decisions on joint activities, joint managerial functions, joint

services, synchronization of budget cycles, joint audits and review

arrangements were presented in detail by the three secretariats

followed by discussion of the Bureaux. The meeting was informed

that the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and

Stockholm conventions needed to take substantively identical

decisions in this round of meetings in order to put in place several

arrangements for the next phase of the synergies process.

The Bureaux members emphasized the importance of the Parties

developing decisions at the meeting of the Conference of the

Parties to the Stockholm Convention that are acceptable to the

meetings of the Rotterdam and Basel conferences of the Parties,

in order to avoid that the decisions need to be sent back to the

next round of Conferences of the Parties in 2013.

The Bureaux recommended that taking into account the legal

autonomy of each Convention to set up its agenda for the

meeting of the Conference of the Parties, synergies should be

treated in a consistent manner at the three meetings of the

conferences of the Parties.

The report of the joint meeting of the Bureaux is available at

h t tp : / /www.base l . in t / synerg ies /documents / forCOPs/JointBureauMtg201103report.pdf

For more information, please contact: Mr. Nelson Sabogal, Chief,

Convention Services and Governance Unit, Secretariat of the Basel

Convention, e-mail: [email protected]

Delegates using their laptops at the first paperless meeting of SC COP 5.

15

Furthermore, COP 5 adopted a decision on synergies, approving

joint activities, terms of reference for the review arrangements and

holding simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the conferences

of the Parties in 2013. A substantively identical decision has

been adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam

Convention in June 2011. The Conference of the Parties to the Basel

Convention will have to adopt a substantively identical decision in

order for the decisions to come into effect.

The full report of the meeting is available at the Stockholm

Convention website www.pops.int.

For further information, please contact Mr. David Ogden,

Coordinator, Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention, e-mail:

[email protected]

Fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention

With over 500 participants and some 107 Party States

represented, the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties

(COP 5) to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed

Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and

Pesticides in International Trade took place from 20 to 24 June

2011 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Conference agreed by consensus to add three pesticides;

alachlor, aldicarb and endosulfan to Annex III of the Convention.

From left to right: Mr. Jim Willis, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions; Ms. Noluzuko Gwayi (South Africa), President of RC COP 5; Mr. David Ogden, Coordinator, Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention.

Listing in Annex III triggers an exchange of information between

Parties and helps countries make informed decisions about future

import and use of the chemicals. Debate over the Chemical Review

Committee’s recommended listing of chrysotile asbestos drew

widespread public attention throughout a week of sometimes

tense negotiations between the Convention’s Parties. Agreement

to list the chemical eluded the Conference for the third time since

it was first recommended for listing in 2002.

Other decisions included a decision on information exchange in

which the Conference approved a strategic plan for establishing

procedures for the operation of the Rotterdam Convention

component of the joint clearing-house mechanism and decided

that all new phases of development of it are to be implemented as

part of the development of the joint clearing-house mechanism of

the 3 conventions. In that context, a new Convention website fully

harmonized with those of the Basel and Stockholm conventions

was officially launched during a side event, which took place in the

margins of the plenary discussions.

The Conference also adopted a technical assistance package that

will support developing countries and countries with economies in

transition to submit final regulatory actions on banning or severely

restricting hazardous chemicals and the identification of severely

hazardous pesticide formulations.

The decision taken by the Stockholm Convention to synergize the

structure and activities of the secretariats of the Basel, Rotterdam

and Stockholm conventions was also endorsed and this decision


16

human, financial and technical resources, as well as to develop,

review and harmonize legal and institutional frameworks so as to

effectively implement the conventions. Participants pledged that

they would share the knowledge and expertise gained during the

workshop with their counterparts at the national level.

For more information on the workshop and related topics please

visit the convention websites at: www.basel.int; www.pic.int; and www.pops.int or contact Mr. Dadan Wardhana, Programme

Officer, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, e-mail: [email protected].

Regional Awareness-Raising Workshop on Enhancing Cooperation and Coordination for the Implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

The Regional Awareness-Raising Workshop on Enhancing

Cooperation and Coordination for the Implementation of the Basel,

Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions was held from 5 to 8 July

2011 in Dakar, Senegal, for French-speaking African countries. The

workshop was organized by SBC, together with the secretariats

of the Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions and the Basel

Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer

for French-speaking countries in Africa (BCRC-Senegal).

The workshop was attended by government representatives from

13 French-speaking countries in Africa, as well as the Global

Environment Facility, UNEP Regional Office for Africa and several

NGOs. Among the many topics discussed in the workshop,

participants shared their views on enhancing cooperation and

coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm

conventions at the international and national levels; discussed the

challenges associated with the establishment of the appropriate

legal and institutional frameworks for the implementation of the

Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions; and learned about

opportunities for technical assistance and resource mobilization in

the field of chemicals and hazardous wastes.

For the workshop report and presentations please visit

the following webpage: http://chm.pops.int/Implementation/TechnicalAssistance/TrainingWorkshops/Africa/AfricaDakar2011/tabid/2237/mctl/ViewDetails/EventModID/1007/EventID/133/xmid/7271/language/en-US/Default.aspx

will now be considered by the Conference of the parties to the

Basel Convention in October 2011.

The full report of the meeting is available at the Rotterdam

Convention website www.pic.int.

For further information, please contact Mr. Michael Stanley-Jones,

Public Information Officer, Secretariats of the Stockholm and

Rotterdam Conventions, e-mail: [email protected]

Pacific Regional Training Workshop on Joint Implementation of the Waigani, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

A regional training workshop on the joint implementation of

the Waigani, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions in

the Pacific region took place from 25 to 29 July 2011 in Suva,

Fiji. The event was co-organized by the secretariats of the Basel,

Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, in close collaboration

with the Secretariat of the South Pacific Regional Environmental

Programme (SPREP), which hosts a Basel Convention Regional

Centre. The workshop was attended by delegates from the

Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati,

the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa,

Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, as well as observers

from Timor Leste, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and

local industry.

The purpose of the workshop was to share information and

experiences in relation to the requirements of the four conventions.

Emphasis was given to the identification of synergies at the

national and regional levels as a way to foster the implementation

of the common requirements under the conventions. In this

regard, a wide range of issues were addressed including the

notification (Prior Informed Consent) procedures under the

conventions, available techniques and best practices for ESM

of hazardous chemicals and wastes and considerations for the

development of national, legal and institutional frameworks. The

workshop programme included field trips to a lead-acid battery

recycling/manufacturing plant, a steel mill that uses waste oil and

the Port of Suva.

Many participants expressed the need for more specific training on

the obligations set out in the conventions and on access to funding

sources. Assistance was deemed required for the mobilization of

17

For more information, please contact Ms. Tatiana Terekhova,


[email protected].

International CooperationCooperation activities with International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

In the past few months SBC has continued its engagement with

ITU in relation to several activities. Special focus in this issue of the

Bulletin is given to the World Summit on the Information Society

(WSIS), held from 16 to 20 May 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland.

In the framework of WSIS e-environment day on 18 May, the

Secretariat organized an event on “Avoiding e-waste: Moving to

environmentally sound life-cycle management of ICT equipment”.

The event featured a panel discussion which was moderated by

Ms. Katharina Kummer Peiry, Executive Secretary, SBC. Panelists

included representatives from the governments of Egypt and

Mexico, the World Bank and Telecom Italia.

The discussion revolved around issues such as the linkage between

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the

environment; a multi-stakeholder approach to the environmentally

sound life-cycle management of ICT equipment; the role of both

governments and the private and informal sectors; awareness-

raising activities; and the role of the ICT sector and its contribution

From left to right: Mr. Matthias Kern, SBC and Mr. Houlin Zhao, Deputy Secretary General, ITU during the opening of the exhibition at WSIS Forum. Photo credit: ITU

to addressing e-waste issues (for example, in the standardization

and optimization of ICT equipment).

As for follow-up activities, the panelists suggested intensifying

awareness-raising activities on e-waste for the general public and

specific groups of population (youth and the rural population, as

an example); encouraging standardization and optimization of ICT

equipment; initiating an e-waste awareness-raising campaign in

Geneva to bring together such stakeholders as permanent missions

to the United Nations, the International Labour Organization,

ITU, United Nations Environment Programme, World Health

Organization, World Meteorological Organization and SBC; and

encouraging cooperation between the ICT and environment sectors

at the national level to effectively deal with increased volumes of

end-of-life ICT equipment.

For more information, please contact Ms. Tatiana Terekhova,


[email protected]

Initiative for ODS and POPs Banks Destruction in Central America

The 1985 Vienna Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer

and its 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the

Ozone Layer, the Basel Convention and the Stockholm Convention

are all responding to the threats of hazardous manufactured

chemicals and wastes that deplete stratospheric ozone, lead to

climate change, poison humans, and/or adversely affect human

health and environment.

Recognizing the importance of cooperation and coordination, these

international agreements are supporting a project to strengthen

controls on the unwanted transboundary movements of hazardous

chemicals and wastes while streamlining and encouraging the

desirable transboundary movement of hazardous chemicals for

proper reuse or destruction. The project takes on the real world

challenge of collecting and destroying ozone-depleting substances

(ODS) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

The project is organized and managed by the Basel Convention

Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the

Central American Sub-region including Mexico (BCRC-El Salvador)

and has an expert international advisory committee (IAC) with the

assistance of several institutions and organizations.


18

News from BCRCsBCRC-China

• Following many years of intensive negotiations, the Framework

Agreement for BCRC China between the Chinese Government

and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention was signed in May

2011.

BCCC-Nigeria

• The first African national training workshop in the framework

of the Basel Convention e-waste Africa project took place from

25 to 27 July 2011 in Tema, Ghana. Please see page 7 of this

Bulletin for more information.

BCRC-SEA

• The proceedings of the regional technical training workshop on

ESM of asbestos Wastes (collection, transportation, disposal,

health and safety aspects) is available at: http://bcrc-sea.org/index.php?content=publication&cat=4.

BCRC-Slovakia

• Funding is secured for the project entitled “Introduction on

environmentally sound management of waste from electrical

and electronic equipment” in Moldova mainly aimed at technical

support for the development of the environmental legislation in

Moldova and its harmonization with EU legal regulation.

BCRC-Trinidad & Tobago

• Dr. Ahmad Khan was appointed as the new Director of the

Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology

Transfer for the Caribbean Region. Dr. Khan will assume his

duties as the Director on 5 September 2011.

The strategy is to remove barriers and find economies of scale in cost

effective banking and destruction of unwanted ozone-depleting

greenhouse gases and persistent organic pollutants. The synergy is

that each treaty has unique scientific and technical perspective and

that joint projects can avoid duplication of efforts while utilizing

the provisions of whichever treaty is most appropriate. Joint action

brings experts together who may otherwise never have met and

cross-fertilizes and stimulates new solutions.

For further information, please contact: Mr. Nelson Sabogal, Chief,

Convention Services and Governance Unit, Secretariat of the Basel

Convention, e-mail: [email protected]

Cooperation with UNEP/OCHA

On 28 March 2011, the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit of

the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian

Affairs and the United Nations Environment Programme, and the

Secretariat of the Basel Convention signed a Letter of Agreement.

The agreement aims at strengthening their relationship to assist

developing country Parties or Parties with economies in transition in

cases of emergency and compensation for damage resulting from

incidents arising from transboundary movements of hazardous

and other wastes and their disposal. This Letter of Agreement

incorporates the Interim Guidelines on this issue adopted by the

sixth meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Basel Convention

and provides for the preparation of arrangements to ensure the

immediate operability of an expert in an emergency situation.




Ms. Katharina Kummer Peiry, Executive Secretary, SBC and Mr. Vladimir Sakharov, Chief, Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, signing the Letter of Agreement.

19

Obituary: Susan Quinto

We are sad to inform you that our colleague, Ms. Susan Quinto, passed away on Thusday morning, 25 August 2011. She endured her serious illness with admirable strength of character and optimism.

Susan joined the Secretariat of the Basel Convention in 1997. We will miss Susan’s wonderful personality, her always positive attitude, and her willingness to assist others whenever needed.

The team of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

2020

Basel Convention Bulletin

Secretariat of the Basel ConventionUNEP/SBCInternational Environment House I13-15 Chemin des AnémonesCH-1219 ChâtelaineGeneva, Switzerland

Contact:Nalini BasavarajInformation Officer

Tel: + 41 22 917 8383 | Fax: + 41 22 797 3454E-mail: [email protected] | www.basel.int

xxxxx xxxFor all Basel Convention publications and other information materials, please visit:

www.basel.intIf you wish to receive printed copies of the Basel Convention publications and other information materials,

please contact the Secretariat at the address given below.

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