The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

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The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

• Barbados, March 2009

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Overview (1)

• A framework for Life Cycle Management
• The 3 conventions together cover elements of
  cradle-to-grave management
• Scope and coverage
• Areas for integrated implementation
• Technical assistance and financial resources
• Synergies process

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General Overview
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Basel

• 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 170 Parties

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Basel

• 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

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Basel

• Key provisions
• A procedure for the notification of transboundary
  movements of hazardous wastes or other wastes,
  based upon a prior written consent procedure
• Each shipment needs a movement document from the
  point of transboundary movement to the point of
  disposal

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Basel

• 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

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Basel

• 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

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Rotterdam

• 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 128 Parties

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Rotterdam

• 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

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Rotterdam

• 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

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Rotterdam

• 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

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Rotterdam

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

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Stockholm

• 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 162 Parties

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Stockholm

• 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

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Stockholm

• 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

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Stockholm

• 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

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Scope and coverage

• Basel covers hazardous wastes that are explosive,
  flammable, poisonous, infectious, corrosive,
  toxic or ecotoxic.
• Rotterdam covers pesticides and industrial
  chemicals that have been banned or severely
  restricted for health or environmental reasons by
  Parties and which have been notified by Parties
  for inclusion in the PIC procedure (29 pesticides
  and 11chemicals).
• Stockholm covers 9 pesticides, and 3 industrial
  chemicals and by-products.
• Most POPs are covered by all three Conventions.
• Many pesticides are subject to the three
  conventions.

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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)

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1. Framework for lifecycle managment

• Together the three conventions cover the key
  elements of the life cycle management of
  hazardous chemicals

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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5. Waste Management

• Movement of wastes under Basel Convention
• Rotterdam and Stockholm 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

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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
• such cooperation may assist in coordinated
  implementation, as common issues can be
  considered together

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Technical assistance and Financial Resources (1)

• Basel Technical Cooperation Trust Fund
• Rotterdam acknowledges need for technical
  assistance
• 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

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Technical assistance (2)

• Basel and Stockholm provide for regional centres
  for training and technology transfer
• Basel Regional Centres (14)
• Nominated Stockholm Convention Centres (12)
• 5 Basel Regional Centres also serve as Nominated
  Stockholm Convention Centres

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Synergies process

• Decisions of the 3 COPs
• Establishment of the Joint Ad Hoc Working Group
  on enhancing cooperation and coordination among
  the Conventions
• Adoption of recommendation by 3 COPs

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Thank You!

• For further information please visit
• www.basel.int
• www.pic.int
• www.pops.int