Enhancing national capacities to take international trade control measures under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions and deal with Illegal traffic of hazardous chemicals and wastes

Background

The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions provide for a range of measures to protect human health and the environment against the negative impacts of hazardous chemicals and wastes.

All three Conventions have in common that they set conditions and procedures to be followed for the import and export of the covered hazardous chemicals and wastes. These procedures are expected to ensure that importing States are not confronted with hazardous chemicals and wastes that they do not wish to receive, for instance because they are unable to manage them in an environmentally sound manner. 

The international trade of determined hazardous chemicals and pesticides is covered by the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, while international trade of hazardous wastes primarily falls under the scope of the Basel Convention. The Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions are indeed expected to have an impact upstream by restricting the production and use, including trade, of certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides that will, when becoming wastes, fall under the scope of the Basel Convention.

Objectives

  • Hands-on training on practical application of the procedures for the import and export of the hazardous chemicals and wastes regulated by the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions;
  • Sharing experience and information on challenges and opportunities linked to international trade of hazardous chemicals, wastes and articles subject to the control mechanisms under the three conventions;
  • Raising awareness and increasing the knowledge on the legal and policy matters related to trade and environment cross-cutting issues, at the global, regional and national  levels, as they relate to the implementation of the three conventions;
  • Enhancing knowledge on existing globally agreed instruments for adequately labelling hazardous chemicals; and
  • Collecting information on possible synergies in preventing and combating illegal traffic and trade in hazardous chemicals and wastes.

Upcoming Activities

  • Global workshop on international trade control measures under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (subject to the availability of funding)