The eighteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention and the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention will be held back to back from 19 to 30 April 2027. The meetings are open to observers in accordance with the relevant provisions of the respective conventions and their rules of procedure.
National or international, governmental or non-governmental bodies or agencies wishing to be represented by observers in one or more of the upcoming meetings should proceed as follows:
- Bodies or agencies that have already been admitted to attend as observers past meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel and/or Rotterdam and/or Stockholm conventions, need to register using the online registration system accessible at: https://registration.brsmeas.org. The deadline for registration in the online platform is Friday, 11 December 2026. Upon registration, participants are asked to upload a nomination letter from the entity they intend to represent. This nomination letter needs to be an official communication from your organization, e.g. using the official letterhead, stating that you are entitled to represent the entity at the meeting, and signed by a duly authorized representative. A template is available to facilitate the process. The Secretariat highly encourages early registration, in particular for delegates requiring a visa to enter Panama. For further information on the requirements for a visa and the procedure to apply for a visa to enter Panama, please see the Quick Guide for participants requiring a visa to enter the Republic of Panama prepared by the Government of Panama. At the time of registration, participants required to obtain a visa for Panama need to indicate this in the online registration system and provide the requested information in the corresponding fields. If you have any questions on the registration process, please contact the Secretariat at: observers@brsmeas.org.
- Bodies or agencies that have not previously attended a meeting of the conferences of the Parties or of subsidiary bodies may apply for observer status to one or more of the meetings.
- To apply for observer status, bodies and agencies need to fill in one or more of the application forms and provide the following information, if available:
- Information describing the body or agency;
- Information on the affiliation of the body or agency with non-governmental organizations or institutions;
- Information on the programmes and activities undertaken by the body or agency /qualification in fields relating to the transboundary movements of hazardous wastes as well as their management and disposal (for applications relating to bodies to the Basel Convention only);
- Information on the programmes and activities undertaken by the body or agency /qualification in matters covered by the Rotterdam Convention (for applications relating to bodies to the Rotterdam Convention only);
- Information on the programmes and activities undertaken by the body or agency /qualification in matters covered by the Stockholm Convention (for applications relating to bodies to the Stockholm Convention only);
- Description of any network and/or membership system.
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| Application for admission as an observer at meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention |
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| Application for admission as an observer at meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention |
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| Application for admission as an observer at meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention |
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Application forms for requesting admission as an observer to one or more of the meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and/or Stockholm Conventions should be sent to Ms. Yvonne Ewang-Sanvincenti, yvonne.ewang-sanvincent@un.org no later than 28 February 2027.
Upon confirmation by the Secretariat that the requesting body or agency appears to meet these criteria, the observer will need to register using the above-mentioned online registration system (https://registration.brsmeas.org). In accordance with the relevant Rules of Procedure, such bodies or agencies may be represented at a meeting as an observer unless at least one third of the Parties present at the meeting object.
This admission procedure does not apply to observers from the United Nations and its specialized agencies; the International Atomic Energy Agency; any State and any political and/or economic integration organization not Party to the relevant Convention(s); as well as the Global Environment Facility (in relation to the Stockholm Convention only). Such observers may, on invitation of the President, participate without the right to vote in the proceedings of any meeting, unless at least one third of the Parties present at the meeting object.