On Tuesday 28 March 2023 participants attending the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Preparatory meeting for the 2023 meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions were welcomed to Panama-City by Dr. Luis Francisco Sucre, Minister of Health of Panama and Dr. Eduardo Flores Castro, Rector of the University of Panama. The meeting which was organized in cooperation with the Basel and Stockholm Conventions Regional Centre in Panama, provided an opportunity for Parties in the region to consult each other in advance of the COPs and facilitate the preparation of regional positions amongst others.

Delegates from the Africa region met from 21 to 23 March 2023 in Dakar, Senegal during the regional preparatory meeting for the 2023 BRS COPs. The meeting provided an opportunity for Parties in the region to consult each other in advance of the COPs and facilitate the preparation of regional positions amongst others.

The Asia-Pacific regional preparatory meeting for the 2023 BRS COPS was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 14 to 16 March 2023. The meeting provided an opportunity for Parties in the region to consult each other in advance of the COPs and facilitate the preparation of regional positions amongst others.

International efforts to control unwanted imports of waste continues to strengthen, with Thailand becoming the 102nd Party to ratify the Basel Convention Ban Amendment.