BRS NEWSLETTER

Assisting parties to protect human health and the environment

July & August 2016 - No. 5

Welcome

This extended, summer, edition of the BRS Newsletter features amongst other pieces, updates on the planning for next year’s Triple COPs; a new party to the Basel Convention; the twice-yearly Rotterdam PIC Circular; and a focus on Central and Eastern Europe from the Stockholm Regional Centre in Brno, Czech Republic. Our next edition will come out in September. Happy reading till then!

News
	Tajikistan accedes to Basel Convention Bringing the number of parties to 184, Tajikistan has acceded to the Convention, with an entry into force of 28 September 2016.
	Preparations for Basel Convention COP-13 underway The Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention met from 11 to 12 July 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss preparations for the BC COP-13 in 2017.
	Basel Ban Amendment moves further forward as South Africa ratifies South Africa becomes the latest to deposit its ratification with the Depository in New York, bringing Parties a step closer to entry into force of the Basel Convention Ban Amendment.
	PIC Circular now available PIC Circular XLIII June 2016 is now available.
	Rotterdam COP Bureau paves the way for the 2017 COP The report of the meeting of the COP-8 Bureau held on 14 June 2016 is now available.
	Preparations for Stockholm Convention COP-8 have started The Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention met from 28 to 29 June 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss preparations for the SC COP-8 in 2017.
	Synergies review: e-surveys launched E-surveys are now available online to gather data and feedback on the synergies process.
	Synergies Decisions document now online The latest BRS publication charts the Synergies process from 2006 to the present day through decisions adopted by parties to protect human health and environment.
	Kyrgyzstan workshop pushes forward regional actions on E-waste Government, civil society, and international organisations exchange best practices and highlight shared challenges on E-waste in eastern Europe and central Asia.

Technical Assistance

Upcoming webinars

Upcoming workshops

First ever MOOC on E-waste - now underway

You can still register for, and since 4 April 2016 join, the first ever Massive Open Online Course on the E-waste Challenge, now underway.

Emerging issues

Basel Convention meetings point way forwards for sustainable management of waste

A Press Release is now available summarising major outcomes of the OEWG-10 and ICC-12 meetings, held in Nairobi from 30 May to 2 June and 4 to 6 June 2016, respectively.

Forthcoming meetings

Agenda available for next meeting of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC.12)

Reviewing pesticides and industrial chemicals for inclusion in the Convention, CRC.12 will take place from 14-16 September 2016 at FAO headquarters in Rome. The meeting agenda is now available.

Postcard from Czech Republic

Dr. Kateřina Šebková on how more science is needed in policy-making

Our latest interviewee highlights the rapidly developing CEE region and also reflects on women in science.

Synergies in the spotlight

Synergies workshop in Geneva marks 10 years of cooperation on chemicals and waste

With support from the Government of Switzerland, Geneva hosted a global workshop to further enhance cooperation between the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, 21-23 June 2016.

Our Regional Centres

SCRC Czech Republic - the Regional Centre for Central and Eastern Europe

Read about RECETOX, which assists parties implement the Stockholm Convention in the 23 countries of central and eastern Europe.