BRS NEWSLETTER

Assisting parties to protect human health and the environment

March 2016 - No. 1

Welcome

WELCOME to the first edition of the monthly newsletter of the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions. We hope you find the newsletter an easy way to keep abreast of the work of the Secretariat, its partners, Regional Centres and others, together with the latest developments shaping the chemicals and waste agenda. In this issue you can read lessons learnt from 10 years of working on synergies, find out which country is the newest party to the Rotterdam Convention, and learn of the important intersessional work required in-between COPs.

News
	New guidance manual on improving sea-land interface in waste management Open for comments by 31st March 2016: 1st draft guidance manual on improving the sea-land interface in waste management, building on work by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
	Tunisia ratifies the Rotterdam Convention The number of Parties to the Convention rises to 155, with Tunisia’s ratification, which enters into force on 9 May 2016.
	Call for views on compliance The President of the COP invites Parties to share their views on outstanding issues, by 15 April 2016.
	Linking chemicals and waste with SDGs ahead of UNEA-2 Read the briefing made by BRS during the 2nd meeting of the UNEP open-ended CPR, on the sound management of chemicals and wastes within the 2030 agenda on sustainable development.
	Regional consultations underway for Minamata Convention on Mercury BRS is participating in regional consultations for the intergovernmental negotiating committee on mercury (INC7), which was held in Jordan, 10 to 15 March 2016.

Technical Assistance

Upcoming webinars

Upcoming workshops

Emerging issues

First ever MOOC on E-waste - now open for registrations

BRS is proud to launch, with partners Climate-KIC, the first ever Massive Open Online Course on the E-waste Challenge.

Forthcoming meeting

Tenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention (OEWG 10)

Nairobi, Kenya, from 30 May to 2 June 2016

Postcard from Vientiane, Lao PDR

Key planning meeting concludes in Vientiane, Lao PDR

Development of a national action plan and priorities for implementation among the outputs of a key workshop hosted by the Lao government in Vientiane, 16 - 19 February 2016.

Synergies in the spotlight

18th February is the 4th Anniversary of the joint BRS Secretariat

BRS Deputy Executive Secretary, Kerstin Stendahl, outlines lessons learnt from 10 years of working on synergies.

Our Regional Centres

DID YOU KNOW?

There are 23 Basel and Stockholm Regional Centres around the world, with whom you can connect for capacity-building, technical assistance, and information sharing on the chemicals and wastes agenda? Starting next month, we will put one Regional Centre in the spotlight, click to see where they are!