The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

1. The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Tirana, Albania, 22-24 June 2010

2. Overview • A framework for Life Cycle Management • The 3 Conventions together cover elements of “cradle-to-grave” management • Common objective = to protect human health and the environment • Scope and coverage of the 3 Conventions • Areas for integrated implementation • Technical assistance and financial resources

3. General overview

4. Basel Convention • Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal • Adopted 1989 in response to concerns about developed country companies dumping hazardous wastes in developing countries • Entered into force on 5 May 1992 • To date it has 172 Parties

5. Basel Convention Objective Reduce transboundary movement of hazardous wastes to a minimum consistent with their environmentally sound management Dispose of hazardous wastes as close as possible to their source of generation Minimize generation of hazardous wastes in terms of quantity and degree of hazard

6. Basel Convention Key provisions Control system for transboundary movements of hazardous wastes based on the concept of Prior Informed Consent Each shipment needs a movement document from the point of transboundary movement to the point of disposal

7. Basel Convention Key provisions Transboundary movement only among parties Export is prohibited if: The state of import has an import ban, OR The state of import has not given its consent to the import

8. Basel Convention Support for implementation Manual and guidelines Model legislation on control and management of hazardous wastes Implementation manual Instruction manual on the control system Technical Guidelines Basel Convention Regional Centres

9. Basel Convention - Albania Albania ratified Basel Convention in 1999 National Focal Point: Director for Pollution Prevention, Ministry of Environment Parties are required to transmit their national reports to the Secretariat annually Relevant meetings: 7th session of the Open-ended Working Group, 10-14 May 2010, Geneva, Switzerland 10th meeting of the COP, Cartagena, Colombia, 17 to 21 October 2011(tentative)

10. Rotterdam Convention • Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade • Adopted in 1998 in response to dramatic growth in chemicals trade, and vulnerability of developing countries to uncontrolled imports • Entered into force on 24 February 2004 • To date it has 131 Parties

11. Rotterdam Convention Objective To promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among Parties in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from potential harm and to contribute to their environmentally sound use

12. Rotterdam Convention How Provides an early warning of potentially hazardous chemicals Provides the basis for decisions regarding of future imports of chemicals (PIC procedure) Helps to enforce those import decisions

13. Rotterdam Convention Key provisions PIC procedure - Provides for a national decision making process on import of hazardous chemicals in Annex III and attempts to ensure compliance with these decisions by exporting Parties Information exchange - the exchange of information on a broad range of potentially hazardous chemicals

14. Rotterdam Convention Support for implementation Decision Guidance Documents (DGD) Import response PIC Circular Responsibilities of importing and exporting Parties Export notifications Information to accompany export

15. Rotterdam Convention - Albania Albania in process of ratification Relevant meetings: 5th meeting of the COP scheduled from 20 – 24 June 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland

16. Stockholm Convention • Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants • Adopted in 2001 in response to an urgent need for global action on “POPs” (chemicals that are “persistent, bioaccumulate in fatty tissues and biomagnify through the food chain”) • Entered into force on 17 May 2004 • To date it has 170 Parties

17. Stockholm Convention Objective To protect human health and the environment from the harmful impacts of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) How Eliminate production and use of intentionally produced POPs Minimize and where feasible eliminate releases of unintentionally produced POPs Clean-up old stockpiles and equipment containing POPs Support the transition to safer alternatives Target additional POPs for action

18. Stockholm Convention Key provisions Elimination of production/use of Annex A chemicals Restriction of production/use Annex B chemicals Reduction/elimination of release of Annex C chemicals Identification/management of obsolete stocks, wastes with POPs Selection of new POPs

19. Stockholm Convention Support for implementation Detailed guidance is available including: Developing a national implementation plan (NIP) for the Stockholm Convention Reducing and Eliminating the use of POPs Action Plan for the Reduction of Reliance on DDT in Disease Vector Control Framework for the Management of PCBs

20. Stockholm Convention - Albania Albania ratified the Stockholm Convention in 2004 Albania submitted NIP in February 2007 Deadline second round of Parties’ reports is 31 October 2010 No Official Contact Point nominated No National Focal Point for the exchange of information designated Relevant meetings: Regional Capacity-Building Workshop for CEE on New POPs, Brno, Czech Republic, 15-18 June 2010 Sixth meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC), Geneva, Switzerland, 11 - 15 October 2010 5th meeting of the COP is scheduled from 25-29 April 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland

21. Scope and coverage • Basel covers hazardous wastes that are explosive, flammable, poisonous, infectious, corrosive, toxic or ecotoxic; • Rotterdam covers 29 pesticides and 11 industrial chemicals that have been banned or severely restricted for health or environmental reasons by Parties; • Stockholm covers 14 pesticides, and 7 industrial chemicals and by-products. Common link: • Most POPs are covered by all three Conventions. • Many pesticides are subject to the three conventions.

22. Areas for integrated implementation • Framework for lifecycle managment (BC, RC, SC) • Chemicals covered (BC, RC, SC) • Regulatory framework (BC, RC, SC) • Import/export controls (BC, RC, SC) • Waste management (BC & SC) • Hazard communication (BC, RC, SC)

23. 1. Framework for lifecycle managment Together the three conventions cover the key elements of the life cycle management of hazardous chemicals

24. 1. Framework for lifecycle managment Rotterdam Convention is a first line of defence against future POPs gives countries an early opportunity to consider alternatives PIC procedure should assist in avoiding an accumulation of unwanted stockpiles

25. 1. Framework for lifecycle managment Stockholm Convention eliminate production and use of POPs chemicals restricts the import and export of POPs to cases where the purpose is the environmentally sound disposal reduce or eliminate releases of POPs working on BAT/BEP guidelines

26. 1. Framework for lifecycle managment Basel Convention can assist in managing disposal of unwanted stockpiles technical working group is developing guidelines on management of POPs wastes

27. 2. Chemicals Covered 8 of the 10 intentionally produced POPs are subject to the Rotterdam Convention anticipate that in future intentionally produced POPs in the Stockholm Convention will be first included in the Rotterdam Convention as wastes all chemicals will be subject to the Basel Convention

28. 3. Regulatory infrastructure Countries can use the experience gained during ratification of the Basel Convention for Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions Guidance to developing National Implementation Plans (NIPs) adopted at Stockholm Convention COP-1 includes references to integration with the Rotterdam Convention National chemicals legislation – all three Conventions involve a review of existing legal or administrative infrastructure

29. 4. Import/Export Controls All three Conventions provide mechanisms to restrict imports and obligations on exports Customs officials should be trained on Convention requirements in a coordinated manner, addressing all three Conventions Conventions may facilitate monitoring of movement of hazardous chemicals

30. 4. Import/Export Controls Secretariats of the three Conventions are working together to ensure a coordinated approach to training customs authorities on the requirements of the Conventions in association with UNEP Green Customs initiative and the World Customs Organization

31. 5. Waste Management Movement of wastes under Basel Convention Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions may help to prevent accumulation of stockpiles Basel Convention is developing technical guidelines for PCB, dioxins, furans and other hazardous wastes These will be taken up by Stockholm Convention

32. 6. Hazard Communication All three Conventions require Parties to communicate hazard information to the secretariat, other Parties and/or the public National focal points for the Conventions should share information to ensure awareness among relevant authorities Close cooperation between focal points and regulators will assist in an integrated approach

33. Technical assistance and Financial Resources • Basel Technical Cooperation Trust Fund • Rotterdam technical assistance programme to address needs identified by Parties • Stockholm sets up a “financial mechanism” • the GEF, as a principal entity, is entrusted on a interim basis with its operations + • Bilateral and multilateral financial institutions

34. Technical assistance – Regional Centres • Basel and Stockholm Conventions provide for regional centres for training and technology transfer • Basel Convention regional centres (14) • Stockholm Convention regional centres for capacity-building and the transfer of technology (8+4 nominated) • 2 BC Regional Centres also serve as SC regional Centres

35. Technical assistance – Regional Centres BCand SCRegional Centres in Europe: SC Research Centre for Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology (RECETOX) Brno, Czech Republic SC Cleaner Production Regional Activity Centre, Mediterranean Action Plan (CP-RAC/MAP) Barcelona, Spain Basel Connvention Regional Centre for Central Europe in Bratislava, Slovakia Basel Convention Regional Centre for CIS countries in the Russian Federation

36. Thank You! For further information please visit: www.basel.int www.pic.int www.pops.int