News Features

 

BRS Highlights launched!
The monthly newsletter of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions has been relaunched! Subscribe to get inside scoop on the work of the Secretariat.

BRS Highlights launched!

BRS Highlights launched!
 
Submit your stories for our e-waste competition by 14 November 2022!
The top three stories will be announced in December 2022 and will be adapted into animated videos premiering during the 2023 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (2023 BRS COPs), which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, in May 2023.

Submit your stories for our e-waste competition by 14 November 2022!

Submit your stories for our e-waste competition by 14 November 2022!
 
Rolph Payet at the high-level panel of the WTO Trade and Environment Week
The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Executive Secretary remarked on the ways that trade policy for chemicals and wastes affects human health and the Earth’s ecosystems.

Rolph Payet at the high-level panel of the WTO Trade and Environment Week

Rolph Payet at the high-level panel of the WTO Trade and Environment Week
 
Join the webinar: 20 years of action to eliminate lead poisoning
The Basel Convention has teamed up with the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme for a webinar addressing lead exposure. The event will take place on 25 October 2022, on the margins of the 10th International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.

Join the webinar: 20 years of action to eliminate lead poisoning

Join the webinar: 20 years of action to eliminate lead poisoning
 
Hybrid regional training for the Pacific region
Focused on legal frameworks and international trade control measures, this is a combination of national face-to-face sessions, running in parallel with a regional online training in each of the participating countries.

Hybrid regional training for the Pacific region

Hybrid regional training for the Pacific region
 
The Basel Convention makes history on e-waste!
International E-waste Day 2022 marks a new deal on e-waste under the Basel Convention.

The Basel Convention makes history on e-waste!

The Basel Convention makes history on e-waste!

“Recycle it all, no matter how small!” The theme of the International E-waste Day 2022 highlights the importance of recycling even the smallest of e-waste. Observed annually on 14 October, E-waste Day was first introduced in 2018 by the Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum in an effort to raise awareness of the need for e-waste recycling among consumers.

The Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions has been a longtime partner of the WEEE Forum, supporting not only the adoption of the international day, but also collaborating with the Forum through the Partnership for Action on Challenges relating to E-waste (PACE II), a public-private multistakeholder platform that raises awareness of the e-waste pollution issue, assists developing countries with the adoption of policies for the environmentally sound management (ESM) of e-waste, and launches new pilot projects on the ESM of e-wastes in its scope.

The Parties to the Basel Convention placed e-waste at the centre of the Basel Convention agenda during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15), in June 2022. In the vein of the Plastic Waste Amendments that came into force one year ago, the Parties adopted amendments to annexes II, VIII, and IX of the Basel Convention, which led to the inclusion of all e-waste under the Prior Informed Consent Control Procedure (PIC). As a result, starting from 1 January 2025, all e-waste moved across the international borders of the 190 Basel Convention Parties will be subject to a strict control procedure, and governments will be able to decide if they want to e-waste imports from other countries. The E-waste Amendments will legally bind countries under the Basel Convention to strictly control its transboundary movement and ensure its environmentally sound management[1].

To support Parties with the implementation of the Amendments, the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions is launching a new capacity-building and training programme on the transboundary movement of e-waste. The programme will be implemented across all the United Nations regions before the E-waste Amendments are entered into force.

Following the adoption of the E-waste Amendments by COP15, the Basel Convention Parties launched a review of the existing ESM guidance on e-waste to reflect the new listing. This review will also cover the Technical Guidelines on transboundary movements of electrical and electronic waste and used electrical and electronic equipment, in particular regarding the distinction between waste and non-waste under the Basel Convention[3].

In addition, the Basel Convention decided to develop two new guidance documents on the ESM of waste from TV screens, audio and video equipment, and on waste from refrigerators, cooling and heating equipment, in the context of the work carried out PACE II.

At COP15, the Parties to the Basel Convention also responded to the call for a new ESM guidance on batteries, which will drive the energy transition to mitigate climate change. The Basel Convention Parties launched the updating of the Technical Guidelines on ESM of waste lead-acid batteries, adopted in 2004, and the development of new technical guidelines on ESM of lithium-ion batteries as well as other batteries. The new technical guidelines are expected to clarify the listing of batteries under the Basel Convention and set a global standard for their recycling and ESM[2].

The Secretariat continues its collaboration with other international organizations in the E-waste Coalition, a coordination platform for international organisations and entities working on e-waste.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS Secretariat) brings together the three leading multilateral environmental agreements that share the common objective of protecting human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals and wastes.
 https://www.brsmeas.org/

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, aims to protect people and the environment from the negative effects of the inappropriate management of hazardous wastes worldwide.
https://www.basel.int/

For more information about the work carried out on e-waste by the BRS Secretariat, contact:
Carla Valle-Klann, BRS Programme Management Officer, carla.valle@un.org
Francesca Cenni, BRS Programme Management Officer, francesca.cenni@un.org
Tatiana Terekhova, BRS Programme Management Officer, tatiana.terekhova@un.org

For media inquiries, contact: Marisofi Giannouli, BRS Associate Public Information Officer, marisofi.giannouli@un.org

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Decision BC-15/18.

[2] Decision BC-15/7.

[3] Decision BC-15/11.

BAT/BEP meeting taking place in Geneva from 11 to 13 October
The expert meeting on Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) under the Stockholm Convention will focus on the revision and finalization of guidance documents, and the workplan for the next biennium.

BAT/BEP meeting taking place in Geneva from 11 to 13 October

BAT/BEP meeting taking place in Geneva from 11 to 13 October
 
POPRC-18 now in session!
The 18th meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee of the Stockholm Convention is taking place this week in Rome, Italy, back-to-back with the 18th meeting of the Chemical Review Committee.

POPRC-18 now in session!

POPRC-18 now in session!
 
CRC-18 begins in Rome with reviews of final regulatory actions for 10 chemicals
During the 18th meeting of the Chemical Review Committee, delegates will focus on finalising guidance documents about the terbufos and iprodione pesticides, both of which could be considered for listing in 2023. The meeting will conclude on 23 September.

CRC-18 begins in Rome with reviews of final regulatory actions for 10 chemicals

CRC-18 begins in Rome with reviews of final regulatory actions for 10 chemicals
 
Advance reports for the 2021/2022 BRS COPs now available in English
The reports cover work carried out during the resumed 2022 face-to-face segment, including the high-level segment.

Advance reports for the 2021/2022 BRS COPs now available in English

Advance reports for the 2021/2022 BRS COPs now available in English
 
Apply for the 5th funding cycle of the Chemicals and Waste Management Programme by 12 August!
A total of 66 countries have already been approved to receive support in the first five rounds to facilitate the fulfilment of obligations towards the chemicals and waste related instruments.

Apply for the 5th funding cycle of the Chemicals and Waste Management Programme by 12 August!

Apply for the 5th funding cycle of the Chemicals and Waste Management Programme by 12 August!
 
Briefing on the outcomes of the face-to-face segment of the COP.15 to the Basel Convention, the COP.10 to the Rotterdam Convention and the COP.10 to the Stockholm Convention
The online briefing will provide Party representatives, observers and other stakeholders with an overview of the main outcomes and decisions of the face-to-face segment of the meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions that was held from 6 to 17 June...

Briefing on the outcomes of the face-to-face segment of the COP.15 to the Basel Convention, the COP.10 to the Rotterdam Convention and the COP.10 to the Stockholm Convention

Briefing on the outcomes of the face-to-face segment of the COP.15 to the Basel Convention, the COP.10 to the Rotterdam Convention and the COP.10 to the Stockholm Convention
 
UN Oceans Conference side event highlights plastic waste trade regime under Plastic Waste Amendments
The event will take place on 28 June, 16:00 Lisbon time. Speakers will include ministers and high-level officers from the Seychelles Zimbabwe and Kenya as well as NORAD and SPREP, and the panel discussion among the representatives from the regional government of Sweden, SPREP, UNODC, and UNCTAD.

UN Oceans Conference side event highlights plastic waste trade regime under Plastic Waste Amendments

UN Oceans Conference side event highlights plastic waste trade regime under Plastic Waste Amendments
 
Nominations for the 2022 Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards are open until 30 June!
The Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards publicly recognize and celebrate excellence in enforcement by government officials and institutions or teams combating transboundary environmental crime. This year, for the first time, the Awards are supported by the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and S...

Nominations for the 2022 Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards are open until 30 June!

Nominations for the 2022 Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards are open until 30 June!
 
UN Palais des Nations shines bright during the BRS COPs Plastics Forum
With the campaign slogan “Plastic is Forever, so it’s time to get clever about managing it!”, the BRS Conventions highlight the need to manage plastic waste in environmentally sound ways.

UN Palais des Nations shines bright during the BRS COPs Plastics Forum

UN Palais des Nations shines bright during the BRS COPs Plastics Forum

The BRS COPs Plastics Forum spotlights the need to manage plastic waste in environmentally sound ways.

How long is forever? More than a lifetime? The life cycle of plastic is measured in hundreds of years. Plastic bottles, for example, take up to 450 years to decompose in landfills. But even when it decomposes, plastic actually becomes more resilient in terms of dissemination, breaking down into microplastics and nanoplastics that get carried across the globe by air and sea, permeating our ecosystems and food supplies. We eat plastic, we breathe plastic; plastic particles have even been detected in placentas!

On the other hand, however a real and present danger plastic pollution may be, it doesn’t negate the fact that plastic has revolutionized the way we consume products and look after ourselves, by providing a cost-effective and durable material used for food containers, medical supplies and protective gear, among countless other applications. Two things can be true: plastic is very useful, and it is taking over the planet in the worst ways possible.

Plastic is Forever, so it’s time to get clever about managing it! The slogan of the latest campaign by the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS Conventions) signals that the way out of the plastic pollution crisis is through the environmentally sound management of plastic waste. This is the principle that guides the Plastic Waste Amendments, currently the sole legally binding international agreement on plastics waste.

Having entered into effect in January 2021, the Plastic Waste Amendments ensure that all 189 Parties of the Basel Convention trade plastics waste only between consenting countries that have the capacity to manage it in environmentally sound ways. Moreover, the Plastic Waste Amendments are a steppingstone towards an even more ambitious goal: the development of an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.

The relevant historic resolution was adopted last March in Nairobi, during the Fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, and was welcomed by world leaders, NGOs and youth representatives. The BRS Conventions will have a key role in informing the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee that aims to complete a draft of the agreement by the end of 2024. In the meantime, the Plastic Waste Amendments provide a singular guiding post for the environmental governance of plastic waste.

The Plastic is Forever campaign was launched in 2021 with the vernissage of a hybrid exhibition, showcasing the finalists of the Plastic Waste Partnership (PWP) photo competition. The competition invited people to highlight the role that plastic waste plays in their daily lives, and the results were quite staggering. The peak of the Plastic is Forever campaign is scheduled to coincide with the Plastics Forum, a three-day multistakeholder event, which takes place in Geneva from 8 to 10 June, during the meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the BRS Conventions (BRS COPs).

Held face-to face for the first time in three years under the theme “Global Agreements for a Healthy Planet: Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste”, the BRS COPs have brought together over 1500 participants to address the impact of hazardous chemicals and wastes on human health and the environment.

The Plastics Forum offered an interactive platform focused on the urgent issue of plastics pollution. It featured more than 20 side events by actors, such as the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Government of Norway, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the European Investigation Agency, the International Pollutants Elimination Network, and many more. Most of the Plastics Forum’s side events are being streamed via a dedicated virtual platform, which also features a three-dimensional depiction of the Forum’s exhibition booths and stage area, as well as of the Centre International de Conférences Genève, the venue where the BRS COPs are being held.

The opening day of the Plastics Forum saw the launch of the Plastic is Forever social media challenge, an initiative that uses playfulness to involve the youth in the fight against plastic pollution. The challenge has two versions – plastic in the sea and plastic on mountains – and is available on Facebook and Instagram.

Running in parallel to the Plastics Forum side events was the Plastic is Forever hackathon, an event that bought together innovators from different backgrounds, challenging them to produce and pitch to the Forum audience prototype solutions that will help speed up R&D in the field of plastic waste management. The Plastic is Forever hackathon is organized in collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, Open Geneva, and the University of Geneva.

On the last day of Plastics Forum, the PWP photo competition winners and the hackathon favourites were announced during a special ceremony. Afterwards, participants joined media and the public at Geneva’s Place des Nations, where they enjoyed an illuminations show on the façade of the United Nations Palais des Nations. This show marked phase two of the Plastic is Forever illuminations project. Phase one took place during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in November, when the Palais was illuminated in shades of the Basel Convention’s signature green colour. The initiative signaled the interlinkages between the three environmental planetary threats: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Phase two consisted of animated projections providing a visual interpretation of the plastic waste crisis impacts.

Seven billion tonnes of plastic waste have been generated globally since the early 1950s, but less than 10 per cent of them has been recycled. Now the world is finally sensitized to the real potential of plastic. It’s time to use the tools provided to us by global governance and science to learn how to manage plastic, so that it ceases its gripping hold on us and our planet.

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