Combating illegal traffic more effectively

Decision BC-10/3: Section E (extract) 

Networks of enforcement agencies and collaboration

Following COP-10, the Secretariat has reached out to existing formal and informal networks of enforcement agencies to inform them of the outcome of COP10 and to invite their views as to how the Secretariat could best implement section E of decision BC-10/3 that, inter alia, requests the Secretariat to promote cooperation between existing enforcement networks and to stimulate the formation of new such networks in particular with other enforcement organizations or in regions where such networks currently do not exist.

A variety of enforcement networks currently focus on preventing and combating the illegal traffic in hazardous and other wastes. As a contribution to providing information on existing enforcement networks and other relevant networks under the Basel Convention, the Secretariat has developed, in cooperation with the relevant entities, factsheets. These factsheets present, in a comparable format, the main characteristics of such networks: date of establishment, legal basis, objective, nature, activities, membership, observers, geographical scope, substantive scope, governance structure, cooperation, activities, source of funding, contact information, website. The following factsheets are available:

The Executive Secretary directly informed these organizations and networks of the outcome of COP10 and invited their views as to how the Secretariat could best implement section C of decision BC-10/3.

In the framework of the E-Waste Africa project coordinated by the Secretariat, activities were undertaken to support selected countries in Africa in monitoring and controlling transboundary movements of used and end-of-life e-equipment and in preventing illegal traffic. One of these activities focuses on establishing an EU-Africa enforcement network.  

In addition to work with existing networks of enforcement agencies and stimulating the formulation of new networks, the Secretariat is further strengthening its collaboration with the World Customs Organization on the harmonization of Customs codes. 

With the financial support provided by the European Union, the Secretariat convened a small meeting of enforcement networks and enforcement organizations hosting enforcement networks on 2 and 3 October 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland, as a follow up to the CLI decision requesting the Secretariat to promote cooperation between existing enforcement networks. That meeting included a joint session with the Joint meeting between the BC and SC regional centres and FAO and UNEP regional offices.

Enforcement and Illegal Traffic

The Secretariat is collecting and shall disseminate information about:

  • examples of best practices in enforcement;
  • practical arrangements such as procedures for take back in cases of detected illegal traffic.

Parties are invited to transmit to the Secretariat any information they may have in this regard.

Parties are also invited to report to the Secretariat on cases of illegal traffic. Further information on the activities undertaken in relation to combating illegal traffic can be found on the Illegal Traffic section of this website.

Implementation and Compliance Committee

The Implementation and Compliance Committee is to oversee the activities to be undertaken to prevent and combat illegal traffic more effectively and is invited to report on its deliberations over the reports to the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP11).

 

BC-10/3: Indonesian-Swiss country-led initiative to improve the effectiveness of the Basel Convention

E. Combating illegal traffic more effectively

The Conference of the Parties,

Recognizing the importance of preventing and combating illegal traffic in hazardous wastes and other wastes and that illegal traffic in wastes, especially hazardous wastes, constitutes one of the main challenges to be addressed by the parties to the Basel Convention in order to prevent harm to human health and the environment,

Noting that the provision of more legal clarity, strengthening the role of the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres and building capacity would facilitate the work of enforcement agencies in preventing and combating illegal traffic more effectively,

Recognizing that coordinated action would be the most effective way of improving effectiveness in preventing and combating illegal traffic,

  1. Requests the Secretariat to build on and enhance existing actions to stimulate cooperation between existing networks of enforcement agencies, including the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, the European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law, the Asian Network for Prevention of Illegal Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and the Green Customs Initiative;
  2. Requests the Secretariat to stimulate the formation of new networks, in particular with other enforcement organizations or in regions where such networks currently do not exist;
  3. Requests the Secretariat to strengthen further its collaboration with the World Customs Organization on the harmonization of Customs codes;
  4. Requests the Secretariat to collect and disseminate examples of best practices in enforcement in addition to practical arrangements such as procedures for take-back in case of detected illegal traffic;
  5. Requests the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres to consult parties in their regions, with the support of the Secretariat and other stakeholders as appropriate, in order to develop programmes and to deploy activities to bring actors together, to provide training and to coordinate joint actions in this field;
  6. Invites parties to report to the Secretariat on cases of illegal traffic, using the form for confirmed cases of illegal traffic, as adopted by the Conference of the Parties in decision IV/12, and invites the Secretariat to explore ways of making better use of the information to guide the decisionmaking of the Conference of the Parties; 
  7. Requests the Committee for Administering the Mechanism for Promoting Implementation and Compliance to oversee the activities to be undertaken to prevent and combat illegal traffic more effectively and to report on progress to the Conference of the Parties at its eleventh meeting.