Trilateral conference successfully concluded
Following a 12-day negotiations marathon the joint meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions came to an end. The conventions regulate the transboundary transport of hazardous wastes and their disposal, the limitation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) worldwide and trade in hazardous industrial chemicals and pesticides. The conventions aim to help ensure that by 2020 chemicals will be managed in a way that humans and the environment will no longer be put at risk by chemicals and hazardous wastes. The international community agreed upon this goal in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
Over 1,600 representatives from over 160 states came together in Geneva from 28 April to 10 May to discuss these issues. The Conferences were held in a joint format simultaneously, which was a first time event for international environmental conventions. Consequently savings were made, which should be channelled to the implementation of the conventions.
As a result, within the framework of the Stockholm Convention, the future use of the fire retardent hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) was banned and further decisions made for the future limitation of the use of dangerous persistent substances such as brominated biphenyl (PBDEs) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOs).
Four substances were added to the Rotterdam Convention, which in future will be subject to the provisions of the convention. The newly added substances include the pesticide azinphos-methyl and industrial chemicals such as octa- and pentabromodiphenyl ether used in several applications.
Under the Basel Convention a framework was decided upon for environmentally sound waste management, which also includes instruments and implementation strategies as well as recommendations for the states, waste producers and waste processors. Unfortunately no agreement was reached in relation to the technical guidelines on the shipment of used and waste electrical appliances. However, guidelines for the environmentally sound management of used and waste computers have been adopted. In order to improve cooperation to combat illegal shipment, a network comprising state representatives and relevant organisations has been established.