The Basel and Stockholm Conventions have established a number of regional and subregional centres under both conventions to provide technical assistance, capacity building and to promote the transfer of technology to Parties that are developing countries or countries with economies in transition in order to enable them to implement their obligations under these conventions. There are a total of 23 regional centres of which 14 are Basel Convention Regional Centres (BCRCs) and 17 are Stockholm Convention Regional Centres (SCRCs). Eight of the centres serve to both conventions.
The establishment and the operation of the Basel Convention Regional and Coordinating Centres dates back to 1995 whereas the nomination of the Stockholm Convention Regional and Subregional Centres started in 2007 and it was only in 2009 that the first eight Stockholm Convention Regional and Subregional Centres were endorsed by the Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention.
Through their "synergies decision", the Conference of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and the Stockholm Conventions have identified the coordinated use of regional offices and centres to advance cooperation and collaboration among these conventions at local level and invited Parties and other stakeholders to promote full and coordinated use of the regional centres to strengthen the regional delivery of technical assistance under all three conventions.