Geneva, Switzerland, 22 June 2026 — In an unprecedented step for international environmental governance, the compliance committees of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions convened their first-ever joint session on 19 June to exchange on issues of joint interest in the management of hazardous chemicals and wastes.
The gathering marked a major step toward stronger, more coordinated implementation across the three conventions. Members called the moment “a milestone,” noting that each committee’s experience “offers valuable lessons for the others.”
This historic session sets the tone for future joint efforts to support Parties and strengthen global protection for human health and the environment. Executive Secretary, Rolph Payet, underscored its significance: “This milestone reflects the spirit of the UN80 initiative, showcasing how streamlined mandates, operational efficiencies and programmatic synergies can drive stronger, more coordinated action across Conventions with distinct governing bodies”. He added that the value of this collaboration was further reinforced as members drew on their experiences from other multilateral environmental agreements’ (MEA) compliance processes, including those under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The sound management of chemicals and wastes remains critical to addressing the interconnected planetary crises of pollution, climate change, land degradation and biodiversity loss. The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions continue to play a pivotal role in driving global solutions. Through this work, the BRS Conventions directly advance SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, and 17 — supporting cleaner water, safer energy, resilient infrastructure, sustainable cities, sustainable consumption and production, and stronger global partnerships.
Second Meeting of the Stockholm Convention Compliance Committee (16-19 June)
Marking the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Stockholm Convention, the Compliance Committee over a four-day meeting undertook a comprehensive review of the status of implementation of the obligations to designate country contacts, to submit national reports, to transmit national implementation plans, to develop legislation, to fulfill obligations pertaining to technical assistance and financial resources, and to take other measures to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants. The Committee also identified questions of compliance pertaining to the designation by 23 Parties of their country contacts and offered its support to assist in their resolution.
The Committee agreed on a set of targeted recommendations to boost implementation and compliance across all Parties and decided to convene its third meeting in October 2026 with a view to finalizing additional recommendations. These will move next to the Conference of the Parties for consideration at its thirteenth meeting in Panama City, Panama, in April 2027.
Committee Chair Jimena Nieto Carrasco underscored the breakthrough nature of the session: “For the first time, the Compliance Committee has unpacked the progress achieved by Parties to fulfil their obligations, identified obstacles met, monitored activities by the regional centres and the implementing agencies of the Global Environment Facility to support Parties with implementation, and agreed on avenues towards greater compliance.” She added that the Committee had, among other things, underscored the need to improve the development of legislation and access to data, as backbones to successful compliance.
Seventeenth Meeting of the Basel Convention Implementation and Compliance Committee (18-21 June)
The Basel Convention Implementation and Compliance Committee wrapped up its seventeenth meeting with a powerful slate of outcomes aimed at strengthening global compliance and advancing the environmentally sound management of wastes.
Over four intensive days, the Committee tackled an ambitious work programme and considered a record number of Party submissions — a clear sign of its growing role in helping countries overcome concrete implementation challenges and return to full compliance.
Under the specific submission track of work, the Committee engaged directly with eleven Parties on the difficulties they faced and current efforts underway to restore compliance with obligations related to national reporting and national legislation, including through the voluntary compliance action plan approved by the Committee.
The Committee also made significant progress in addressing general issues of compliance under the Convention, advancing work on national reporting, illegal traffic, national legislation, the prior informed consent (PIC) procedure under Article 6, designation of national contact points, following up on mandates from COP-17. Progress was also made on guidance development and exploring options to improve access to financing for implementation. On the COP-17 mandated activities on the PIC procedure, the Committee provided directions for the agreed activities going forward, ranging from revisions to reporting format, development of a web-based tool for updating designated contacts, and the use of Party submitted information to inform guidance under the Convention.
The Committee will resume its meeting from 12 and 16 October 2026 online to finalize its recommendations to the eighteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, and in February 2027 to complete its consideration of current specific submissions.
Committee Chair Sophie Bernier welcomed the strong results: “The Committee has delivered on the high expectations set by the Conference of the Parties — providing targeted support to individual Parties while driving forward a broad and ambitious compliance programme. These outcomes equip the Conference of the Parties at its eighteenth meeting in April 2027 with a comprehensive review of compliance issues and clear, practical directions to help Parties implement the Convention.”
Fourth Meeting of the Rotterdam Convention Compliance Committee (19-21 June)
The Rotterdam Convention Compliance Committee concluded its meeting with significant progress on specific Party submissions and review of systemic issues of general compliance of interest to all Parties.
The Committee agreed to follow up with specific Parties facing challenges, particularly those yet to notify their designated national authorities and yet to transmit any responses about whether they agree to imports of chemicals controlled by the Convention. Taking such informed decisions is highly important to ensure only chemicals that can be managed safely enter the country. This will ensure both, protection of human health and the environment, as well as food security. Members were keen to support Parties, underscoring the facilitative approach of the Committee.
They considered a number of elements related to implementation, focusing on how to address challenges that had been identified by Parties, in particular to ensure that imports and exports of hazardous chemicals are controlled as set out in the Convention. The Committee highlighted some crosscutting challenges, agreeing to continue to build a publicly available collection of examples of coordination and communication mechanisms as a tool.
The meeting underscored encouraging momentum, with a growing number of Parties transmitting texts of their national legislation, strengthening information exchange. Looking ahead, the Committee agreed a draft programme of work for 2028–2029 that will now be consulted with all Parties ahead of the next meeting of the Convention’s governing body in 2027. This builds on existing activities and continues to gather information on challenges, reviewing guidance materials and continuing to enhance cooperation with the other conventions’ compliance committees.
Committee Chair Karoliina Anttonen emphasized the importance of this forward-looking approach: “Shared responsibility and cooperative efforts are now further strengthened through the work to systematically collect and analyse information on challenges faced and assistance needed. This work is vital to providing targeted support that responds directly to the needs identified by Parties.”
Looking ahead
Common challenges identified across the three committees point to the need to support Parties’ efforts to strengthen data collection, develop, update and implement national legislation, which will continue to be key drivers of the work of these three successful compliance committees.
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, adopted in 1989 and entered into force in 1992, is the most comprehensive international environment treaty on hazardous and other wastes and is almost universal, with 191 Parties. With an overarching objective of protecting human health and the environment against the adverse effects of hazardous wastes, its scope covers a wide range of wastes subject to transboundary movements defined as hazardous based on their origin and/or composition and characteristics, as well as four types of wastes defined as “other wastes”, namely household waste, residues arising from the incineration of household wastes ash, certain plastic wastes and certain electronic and electrical wastes requiring special consideration.
The Basel Convention Implementation and Compliance Committee is mandated to assist Parties to comply with their obligations under the Convention and to facilitate, promote, monitor and aim to secure the implementation of and compliance with the obligations under the Convention.
The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure (PIC) for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, adopted in 1998 and entered into force in 2004, is jointly administered by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Environment (UNEP). The 168 Parties to this legally binding Convention share responsibility and cooperate to safely manage chemicals in international trade. The Convention does not introduce bans but facilitates the exchange of information among Parties on hazardous chemicals and pesticides, to inform and improve national decision making. In addition, through the PIC Procedure, it provides a legally binding mechanism to support national decision-making on the import and export of certain chemicals and pesticides and disseminates decisions to Parties.
The Rotterdam Convention Compliance Committee deals with specific submissions relating to the compliance of an individual Party and reviews systemic issues of general compliance.
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, adopted in 2001 and entered into force in 2004, is a global treaty requiring its 186 Parties to take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment, to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that remain intact for long periods, become widely distributed
geographically, accumulate in the bodies of humans and wildlife, and have harmful impacts on human health or on the environment.
The compliance procedures of the Stockholm Convention were adopted in 2023, and the first cohort of members of the Compliance Committee was elected in 2025. The objective of the compliance procedures is to assist Parties to comply with their obligations under the Convention and to facilitate, promote, assist in, advise on and aim to secure the implementation of and compliance with the obligations under the Convention.
The Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, or BRS Secretariat, supports Parties implement these three leading multilateral environment agreements governing sound chemicals and waste management, according to the mandates in each Convention and as decided by the governing bodies.
For information on the Basel Convention Implementation and Compliance Committee, contact: Marylene Beau, Head of Legal and Policy Unit, BRS Secretariat, marylene.beau@un.org
For information on the Rotterdam Convention Compliance Committee, contact: Ms. Yvonne Ewang-Sanvincenti, Legal Officer, BRS Secretariat, yvonne.ewang-sanvincent@un.org and Ms. Sarra Baccouri, Agricultural Officer, Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention, sarra.baccouri@fao.org
For information on the Compliance Committee of the Stockholm Convention, contact: Juliette Voinov Kohler, Senior Legal Officer and Chief, Governance Branch, BRS Secretariat, juliette.kohler@un.org
For media enquiries, contact:
Maria Cristina Cardenas-Fischer, Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor and Head of the Policy and Strategy Unit, Executive Office, BRS Secretariat, maria-cristina.cardenas@un.org and mea-brs-communications@un.org