Geneva, Switzerland 29 June 2026 - Representatives from 140 governments convened in Geneva last week for the fifteenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG-15) of the Basel Convention. Over four days of intensive dialogue and negotiations, Parties adopted 19 decisions to advance work on the management of hazardous and other wastes, with e-waste, plastic waste, used textiles and textile wastes, technical guidelines, legal clarity and international cooperation high on the agenda.
Meeting at the midpoint between the Convention’s biennial Conference of the Parties (COP), the Working Group charted the intersessional roadmap towards COP-18 in Panama in 2027. Parties advanced work to improve the functioning of the prior informed consent procedure, progressed technical guidelines on key waste streams, invited further submissions on plastic waste activities as well as on options available under the Convention to address used textiles and textile wastes, and agreed next steps on national reporting, electronic approaches, legal clarity and cooperation with other international bodies, including the International Maritime Organization and the World Customs Organization.
The OEWG, once again demonstrated its role as vital engine of the Basel Convention, bringing together governments, international organizations, industry representatives and NGOs united by a shared mission to strengthen the environmentally sound management of hazardous and other wastes worldwide.
Action on Plastic Waste as well as Used Textiles and Textile Wastes
Plastic waste remained a central focus. Delegates took note of comments submitted on the implementation, challenges and impacts of the plastic waste amendments, as well as an update on the ongoing negotiations towards an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The Working Group requested a compilation of existing activities on hazardous and other plastic waste carried out in accordance with the Convention for consideration by COP-18.
Used textiles and textile wastes also featured prominently, with many delegates underscoring the environmental, social and economic dimensions of this waste stream. The Working Group took note of the report on possible options available under the Convention and invited comments on those options and other relevant options, for compilation ahead of COP-18.
Strengthening agreement on management of priority waste streams
How to improve the management of several types of wastes including those arising from the use of batteries, pneumatic tyres, electronic and electrical equipment and forever chemicals (PFAS) were at the heart of the discussions. A series of key decisions focused on technical guidelines essential for Parties to manage waste in an environmentally sound manner. The Working Group took note of draft or updated technical guidelines on persistent organic pollutants, waste lead-acid batteries and other waste batteries, used and waste pneumatic tyres, and draft guidance on the identification of electrical and electronic waste under the e-waste amendments adopted by COP-15 in 2022. It recommended that COP-18 agree to the updated technical guidelines on wastes containing or contaminated with mercury or mercury compounds, agreed to updates to technical guidelines to reflect adjustments consequential to the e-waste amendments, and recommended that COP-18 agree to updates reflecting the plastic waste amendments.
To support practical implementation, countries were encouraged to continue using and testing the technical guidelines on transboundary movements of e-waste and used electrical and electronic equipment. Delegates also examined draft fact sheets on electronic approaches to the notification and movement documents for controlling waste transboundary movements and reiterated the invitation for pilot projects.
Advancing Legal Clarity and International Coordination
The Working Group welcomed progress on the review of Annexes I and III to the Convention, and invited comments to help prioritize recommendations for further discussion. It also invited further comments on the implications of the amendment to Annex IV and on any need for explanations, technical guidelines or guidance in relation to the disposal operations in Annex IV. The meeting welcomed the inclusion of Basel Convention-related amendments in the World Customs Organization eighth edition of the Harmonized System nomenclature – covering plastic waste, waste oils containing PCBs and waste pneumatic tyres- marking an important step towards improved customs identification of wastes covered by the Convention. Comments were invited on strengthening legal clarity and coordination between the Basel Convention and the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and the Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.
Partnerships and Future Work
Delegates reviewed progress under the Partnership for Action on Challenges relating to E-waste, the Household Waste Partnership and the Partnership on Plastic Waste, requesting revised draft work programmes for 2028–2029 for consideration by COP-18.
A Platform for Ambition Ahead of COP-18
“As we look ahead to the Basel Convention COP-18, to be held next year in Panama, the work accomplished here in Geneva provides a strong platform for ambitious decision-making,” said Executive Secretary Rolph Payet. “Building on the outcomes of the OEWG-15, Parties will now refine proposals and finalize technical work in the lead-up to COP-18, where governments are expected to take forward measures that strengthen global waste governance and address emerging pollution challenges.”
NOTES FOR 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 electrical and electronic wastes requiring special consideration.
The Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) is a universal subsidiary body of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention. It assists the Conference of the Parties in reviewing and advancing the implementation of the Convention’s work programme, advising on policy, technical, scientific, legal, institutional and administrative matters.
The Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS Secretariat) supports Parties in implementing the three multilateral environmental agreements governing chemicals and waste management, in order to protect human health and the environment.
For information on the Open-ended Working Group, contact:
Susan Wingfield, Programme Officer, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions susan.wingfield@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, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, maria-cristina.cardenas@un.org and mea-brs-communications@un.org