Joint clearing-house mechanism

What is the joint clearing-house mechanism?

The joint clearing-house mechanism is a multi-stakeholder global system that facilitate the exchange of information and expertise relevant for the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions. To achieve such an objective the Secretariat has developed, and is continuously enhancing, a global knowledge base made of information and tools, fed and used by all members of the clearing-house community

This knowledge base aims at empowering community members with the means to contribute and access up-to-date, quality information related to the work of the conventions, in a transparent, neutral, efficient, and user friendly manner and with strong emphasis on regional delivery. In order to develop and nurture such a knowledge base, the joint clearing-house mechanism programme facilitates or undertakes the identification, collection, management, distribution and exchange of information and expertise to support parties and other stakeholders in the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions. 

At their meetings in 2017, the Conferences of the Parties of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions welcomed the revised joint clearing-house mechanism strategy and requested the Secretariat to start implementing it. The strategy contains a more detailed description of the mechanism and serves as a framework for its implementation.

Background

As most of the information exchanges initiatives, the joint clearing-house mechanism embraces the open data principles and particularly contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals:

  • Goal 12 to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns (target 12.8);
  • Goal 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels (target 16.10) ; and 
  • Goal 17 to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development (targets 17.6 and 17.8).

How the joint clearing-house mechanism operates?

The joint clearing-house mechanism is structured by the following three major components:

  • Information, or the content of information exchanged through the joint clearing-house mechanism by its members and users;
  • Community, or the global network of information providers, users and institutions working to implement the conventions and formally contributing to and using the joint clearing‑house mechanism;
  • Tools, or the set of information tools, processes and services necessary to identify, collect, catalog, package, enhance and further disseminate information provided by community members to other users.

Access to information 

The scope of information covered by the joint clearing-house mechanism is mainly focused on the following broad categories: 

  • scientific information;
  • regulatory information;
  • capacity building information; and
  • information on the status of implementation of the conventions. 

Ongoing activities

The implementation of the joint clearing-house mechanism activities for the biennium 2022–2023 is described in the workplan approved by the Conferences of the Parties at their meeting in June 2022. The ongoing activities are mainly focused on recurring activities and maintenance of existing information tools as outlined in activities 1 to 4 of the workplan.

Thanks to the generous financial support from the European Union and Norway, the implementation of the joint clearing-house mechanism activities is also covering the development of a joint portal on information from regional centres and the development of a central database and a web portal on regional and national initiatives on marine plastic litter and microplastics.

Fundraising efforts for the remaining priority areas are ongoing. Concepts notes for voluntary funded information exchange activities are available on the resource mobilization section of our website. 

Joint clearing-house mechanism presentation