Konstanz, Germany, 25 - 26 January 2015

Venue: Wolkenstein-Saal, Kulturzentrum am Münster, Katzgasse 5, 78462 Konstanz, Germany. The meeting will open at 10 :00am on 25 January 2015 and is expected to close by 5:30pm on Monday 26 January 2015.

Highlight: The Small Intersessional Working Group on legal clarity (SIWG) is meetingwith a viewtofinalizing the glossary of terms; to prepare recommendations as to whether any terms defined in previously adopted technical guidelines and guidance documents as well as the framework for the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes and other wastes need to be updated as a result; to prepare recommendations as to whether further guidance would be useful; and to prepare recommendations on the options for further steps towards the consistent interpretation of terminology, including possible voluntary and legally binding options. The outcome of the meeting will be considered by the Conference of the Parties during its twelfth meeting (4-15 May 2015, Geneva, Switzerland). Funding for the meeting is provided by Switzerland.

Working Language: English

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Konstanz, Germany, 21 - 23 January 2015

Venue: Wolkenstein-Saal, Kulturzentrum am Münster, Katzgasse 5, 78462 Konstanz, Germany

Highlight: The expert working group on environmentally sound management is expected to consider the intersessional work undertaken by it to further elaborate and implement actions on initial short-term work items for the implementation of environmentally sound management. In addition, it will consider its draft work programme for additional priorities and key work items and actions. The expert working group will report on its activities and submit its work programme to the Conference of the Parties for consideration and possible adoption at its twelfth meeting (4-15 May 2015, Geneva, Switzerland).

Germany and Switzerland are kindly funding the third face-to-face meeting of the group.

Working Language: English only.

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Konstanz, Germany, 19 - 20 January 2015

Venue: Wolkenstein-Saal, Kulturzentrum am Münster, Katzgasse 5, 78462 Konstanz, Germany. The meeting will open at 9:00am on 19 January 2015 and is expected to close by 5:30pm on Tuesday 20 January 2015.

Highlight: The Small Intersessional Working Group (SIWG) on technical guidelines on e-waste  is meeting with a view to consider and advance the work on the draft technical guidelines on transboundary movements of electronic and electrical waste and used electrical and electronic equipment, in particular regarding the distinction between waste and non-waste under the Basel Convention. Another objective of the meeting is to consider and agree on the texts for paragraph 26(b) of the document UNEP/CHW/OEWG.9/INF6 rev.1 agreed at the Open-ended Working Group meeting in September 2014. The outcome of the meeting will be considered by the Conference of the Parties during its twelfth meeting (4-15 May 2015, Geneva, Switzerland). Funding for the meeting is provided by Japan.

Working Language: English

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Barranquilla, Colombia, 10 - 12 December 2014

Background: Under the Basel Convention, each Party is required to take appropriate legal administrative and other measures to implement and enforce the provisions of the Convention, including appropriate national/domestic legislation to prevent and punish illegal traffic (art. 4.4 and 9.5). The Secretariat’s activities support the effective implementation of these requirements and hence the achievement of fundamental objectives of the Convention.

According to Annex A part II of the Stockholm Convention, Parties to the Convention are obliged to eliminate equipment and oils containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from use by 2025 and bring these under environmentally sound waste management by 2028.

Over the years, the Secretariat carried out a number of training activities to support parties in preventing and combating illegal traffic in hazardous wastes and other wastes, including more recently two workshops that focused on the prosecution of illegal traffic. The first workshop for prosecutors took place in Bratislava, the Slovak Republic, on 26-27 June 2012 for countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia. The workshop for Central and South America took place on 28-29 August 2013 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Furthermore, the Secretariat provided support to Parties on the environmentally sound management of POPs wastes including PCBs wastes in a series of regional workshops that took place in 2009 and 2010. The Secretariat also undertook activities to assist developing countries and countries with economies in transition in implementing the Basel Convention technical guidelines on POPs waste, including PCBs. These as well as a number of documents and guidance on inventory of PCBs and environmentally sound management of PCBs, have been prepared by the Secretariat. 

Organized by: The sub-regional workshop is organized by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Colombia in collaboration with the Basel Convention Regional Centre in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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Geneva, Switzerland, 27 - 28 November 2014

Venue: International Environment House-2 (IEH-2), Châtelaine, Geneva

Background: Decisions BC-11/12 (Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres), BC-11/13 (Process for evaluating the performance and sustainability of the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres), and SC-6/16 (Regional and subregional centres for capacity-building and the transfer of technology), among others, are implemented through programme budget for Activity 19. Activity 19 includes convening of annual joint meetings to enhance cooperation and coordination between regional centres under the Basel and Stockholm conventions to promote and enhance synergies in delivery of technical assistance under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions.

Organizer(s): The Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.

Working Language: English only