The review of Annexes I, III, IV and related aspects of Annexes VIII and IX to the Convention was initiated by the Conference of the Parties at its twelfth meeting, by its decision BC-12/1,on the basis of a recommendation from the SIWG on legal clarity that had developed the glossary of terms.
Annex I to the Basel Convention lists the categories of wastes to be controlled under the Basel Convention, including both specific waste categories (Y1 to Y18) and wastes having specific constituents (Y19 to Y45). Annex III to the Basel Convention lists hazardous characteristics (H1 to H13). Annex IV to the Basel Convention lists the disposal operations; it includes two sections, namely section A entitled “Operations which do not lead to the possibility of resource recovery, recycling, reclamation, direct re-use or alternative uses”, and section B entitled “Operations which may lead to resource recovery, recycling, reclamation, direct re-use or alternative uses”. Entry A 1180 of Annex VIII and entry B 1110 of Annex IX to the Basel Convention pertain to electrical and electronic assemblies and include references to disposal operations.
During its thirteenth meeting, the Conference of the Parties, in its decision BC-13/2, established the Expert Working Group on the Review of Annexes (EWG) with a mandate and terms of reference as set out in the Annex to that decision.
During its fourteenth meeting, the Conference of the Parties, in its decision BC-14/16, extended the mandate of the EWG to also review entry B1110 in Annex IX and the mirror entry A1180 in Annex VIII as well as the consequential implications of the review of Annexes I, III and IV for other annexes of the Convention and for relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties. In its decision, the Conference of the Parties also requested the EWG to continue its work as follows:
| Way forward to COP 15 |
|
OEWG-12
|
COP15
|
|
2020
|
2021
|
|
Annex IV:
Amendment proposals are presented and discussed
|
Annex IV:
Amendment proposals are negotiated and possibly
adopted
|
|
Annex VIII (A1180):
Amendment proposals are presented and discussed
|
Annex VIII (A1180):
Amendment proposals are negotiated and possibly
adopted
|
|
Annex IX (B1110):
Amendment proposals are presented and discussed
|
Annex IX (B1110):
Amendment proposals are negotiated and possibly
adopted
|
| Way forward to COP 16 |
|
OEWG-13
|
COP16
|
|
2022
|
2023
|
|
Annex I:
Amendment proposals are presented and discussed
|
Annex I:
Amendment proposals are negotiated and possibly adopted
|
|
Annex III:
Amendment proposals are presented and discussed
|
Annex III:
Amendment proposals are negotiated and possibly adopted
|
During its fourteenth meeting, in paragraph 8 of decision BC-14/13, the Conference of the Parties also requested the EWG to consider, as part of its mandate, whether any additional constituents or characteristics in relation to plastic waste should be added to annex I or III, respectively, to the Convention.
The work of the expert working group on the review of Annexes is supported by Germany, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the European Union.