BC-10/3: Indonesian-Swiss country-led initiative to improve the effectiveness of the Basel Convention
B. Developing guidelines for environmentally sound management
The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling subparagraphs 2 (a)–(d) of Article 4 of the Basel Convention,
Recognizing that harm to human health and the environment continues to be caused throughout the world by inadequate waste management procedures,
Stressing the critical importance of prevention and minimization of hazardous wastes and other wastes,
Acknowledging the existing activities undertaken by parties and others to ensure environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes and other wastes, including the development of technical guidelines, national legislation, reference documentation and other guidance, while also acknowledging that further dissemination of these activities is necessary,
Stressing the continuous need of parties to have access to sufficient information to ensure that hazardous waste and other wastes, including those subject to transboundary movement, are managed in an environmentally sound manner,
Noting that a more systematic and comprehensive effort is needed to improve guidance on environmentally sound management of wastes,
- Invites the Secretariat to disseminate information that it receives on existing activities undertaken by parties and other stakeholders to ensure the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes and other wastes;
- Decides to complete the development of a framework for the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes and other wastes, including consideration of ways in which the framework and its elements might be linked to the issue of transboundary movement of hazardous and other wastes taking into account subparagraph 2 (d) of Article 4 of the Convention;
- Decides to mandate a technical expert group to undertake the work outlined in paragraph 2 of section B of the present decision, taking into account the elements listed in the annex to the present decision, and to submit a draft framework to the Open-ended Working Group at its eighth session and subsequently to the Conference of the Parties at its eleventh meeting for its consideration and possible adoption;
- Decides that the above-mentioned technical expert group shall consist of members nominated by parties based on equitable geographical representation of the five regional groups of the United Nations, and will be open to observers;
- Requests each regional group to nominate through its Bureau representative by 15 December 2011 six members with specific knowledge and expertise in the field. The expert group may call upon additional experts as needed;
- Requests the expert group to elect its own co-chairs and organize its working modalities according to the rules of procedure of the Basel Convention.