Daily report for 2 May 2025

The Stockholm Convention (SC) agreed to eliminate the production and use of two persistent organic pollutants (POPs), albeit with a list of exemptions that prompted strong words from some observers. The Basel Convention (BC) began work on strategic matters, plastic waste amendments, and other issues. The meeting documents can be found on the BRS website.

Joint Issues

Adoption of the report on credentials: For the BC, 180 parties registered and are in attendance; 17 did not submit credentials.

For the Rotterdam Convention (RC), 162 parties registered and are in attendance; 12 parties did not submit credentials.

For the SC, 176 parties registered and are in attendance; 17 parties did not submit credentials.

Each COP adopted their respective reports.

Stockholm Convention

Listing of Chemicals: Long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCAs), their salts and related compounds: The COP adopted a decision to list LC-PFCAs in Annex A, with specific exemptions. The COP also adopted a decision on actions related to LC-PFCAs, which requests the Secretariat to compile an indicative list of substances covered by the listing, and urges parties to consider the information on alternatives compiled by the POPs Review Committee (POPRC).

Chlorpyrifos: The COP adopted a decision to list chlorpyrifos in Annex A with specific exemptions.

The INTERNATIONAL POLLUTANTS ELIMINATION NETWORK (IPEN) lamented the erosion of the SC and parties undermining POPRC’s work with the extensive list of exemptions submitted by parties that circumvented scientific review. They stressed these exemptions protect industry and, with other observers, called on upholding the SC’s spirit of protecting the health and human rights of women, children, Indigenous Peoples, workers, and frontline communities.

The OFFICE OF THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS raised concerns over the numerous exemptions for chlorpyrifos and the dangerous precedent to be potentially set by amending the listing of UV-328, noting they are ready to collaborate with the BRS Conventions on human rights.

Exemptions: SC COP President Berci invited observers’ comments first.

The UNITED FIREFIGHTERS UNION (UFU) was “disheartened” at the decision to grant the extension for “firefighter-killing foams” despite their pleas, stating they will stay committed to fighting for firefighters’ health.

 The SC adopted the decision accepting the request from the Republic of Korea for an extension of the specific exemption for the use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts, and related compounds and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF) for firefighting foam for liquid fuel vapor suppression and liquid fuel fires (Class B fires) in installed systems, including both mobile and fixed systems until 2 June, 2030.

Meeting report: Delegates reviewed the report of the SC meeting (POPS/COP.12/L.1/Add.1.) The report was adopted as amended by the REPUBLIC OF KOREA to clarify the record of their statement that introduced a request to grant an exemption on firefighting foams: they noted a national decision to replace the foams, but the process is yet to be finalized, and that their initial request was for the 2031 deadline, not 2030.

Basel Convention

During the report-back from contact groups, Mexico, for the  LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN GROUP (GRULAC), expressed concern about the decision contained in BC-17/12 adopted on May 1, which modifies the Terms of Reference of the Implementation and Compliance Committee (ICC), allowing it to recommend punitive measures to the COP for parties that have not submitted national reports for more than five years. They stressed the impact on developing countries, which face technical challenges with reporting, and the facilitative, not punitive, nature of the compliance mechanism. Citing the overlap of plenary and the high-level segment on May 1, they asked to reopen the matter and allow for careful consideration.

Strategic Issues: Strategic framework: The Secretariat presented relevant documents (CHW.17/3 and CHW.17/3/Add.1). Canada, the lead country in the development of the strategic framework for 2026-2031, reported on the work done by the small intersessional working group (SIWG) and presented four sections of the proposed new strategic framework, including goals and indicators, and informed that brackets remain around Objective 2.1 on the implementation of the prior informed consent (PIC) procedure.

Many parties, including the EU, NEW ZEALAND, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, SRI LANKA, TOGO, SOUTH AFRICA, BANGLADESH, and MALAYSIA, welcomed the new framework, with some also looking forward to contact group discussions. SAUDI ARABIA highlighted some concerns with the roadmap they will raise in the contact group.

Mexico, for GRULAC, echoed by VENEZUELA and TOGO, stressed technical support is needed for its implementation, and proposed the COP reevaluates the costs and benefits of the webtool for improved PIC reporting. IRAQ highlighted challenges with illegal traffic and asked for support in strengthening border control.

SWITZERLAND urged utilizing data from existing information collection mechanisms when operationalizing the framework, and called for periodic progress reports to the COP.

MALDIVES highlighted the vulnerability of small island developing states (SIDS), and proposed tailoring the framework to ensure technical support meets their special needs. TUVALU suggested additional indicators for SIDS under Goal 4 (collaboration and capacity building), and data disaggregation by region.

BRAZIL suggested reinserting per capita waste generation in the indicators instead of generation per party on implementing measures to reduce the generation of hazardous wastes and other wastes. The DOMINICAN REPUBLIC noted that many developing countries rely on waste export due to a lack of local capacities and suggested the goal to reduce transboundary waste movement be modified accordingly.

The RUSSIAN FEDERATION welcomed an opportunity to further improve the PIC procedure and queried if Objective 3.1 (national legislation to ensure exported wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner) might overlook the commercial circumstances of the importing country.

A contact group on strategic matters was established, co-chaired by Ann De Jonghe (Belgium) and Lendita Dika (North Macedonia).

Improving the functioning of the PIC procedure: The Secretariat introduced the draft decision and report on the challenges in implementing the PIC procedure and best practices, possible approaches and initiatives to improve its functioning, and options for possible ways forward (CHW.17/4 and INF/6). Many countries stressed that improvements to the PIC procedure are vital to the transparency and implementation of the BC.

Pointing to the dearth of comments from developing countries, Sierra Leone, for the AFRICAN REGION, noted that some recommendations in the report do not reflect the conditions of the region and, with KENYA, emphasized the need for further efforts to encourage developing countries’ contributions before adoption.

SEYCHELLES, BRAZIL, VENEZUELA, the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, SOUTH AFRICA, and others underscored the need for adequate support for implementation of the proposed measures, with BRAZIL calling for adding a specific reference in the decision to “access to financing.” BANGLADESH suggested a dedicated training or pilot program for active engagement.

The RUSSIAN FEDERATION highlighted work by regional centres, non-official regional networks, and the need for ensuring experience exchange, enhanced clarity, and harmonized deadlines for decision-making.

MALDIVES underscored the potential of an electronic system to strengthen environmental safeguards, while THAILAND cautioned against relying on personal emails and electronic signatures, objected to PIC for transit movement, and stressed the importance of clarity on nations’ different waste definitions. INDIA warned against additional implementation burdens.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO drew attention to impacts on the strategic framework, while the EU stressed consistency with the ICC and relevant electronic approaches elsewhere.

The Strategic Matters contact group will take up this agenda item.

Scientific and Technical Matters: Further consideration of plastic waste: The Secretariat presented the draft decision and further activities that could be conducted under the BC (CHW.17/9 and INF/18).

ARGENTINA stressed the importance of avoiding duplication of efforts and staying within the scope of the BC mandate. They also suggested establishing a contact group to discuss, inter alia, which subsidiary body to task with this work.

SAUDI ARABIA, INDIA, the RUSSIAN FEDERATION, and TÜRKIYE emphasized the importance of the BC and coherence with the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on plastics.

SAUDI ARABIA and INDIA urged against creating a new reporting burden. TÜRKIYE noted INC’s comprehensive focus on the whole life-cycle of plastics and building countries’ capacities. BANGLADESH suggested alignment with plastics INC, especially regarding extended producer responsibility (EPR) and harmonized recycling standards.

SRI LANKA highlighted national efforts and called for an international mechanism to cover the full life-cycle of plastics.

The EU suggested focusing on assessing the effectiveness of the BC plastics amendment, and supported the way forward proposed in the pre-session document. BRAZIL suggested continuation of this work, emphasizing the role of regional centres in delivering nationally tailored solutions. VENEZUELA supported continued work on plastics waste, stressing the need for new scientific knowledge on handling and disposing, as well as technology transfer and financial support. IRAQ highlighted the role of partnerships and the need to fund them.

NEPAL illuminated the unique challenges with plastics waste from the tourism industry in mountain regions. CHAD highlighted a pilot project on waste elimination and called for further support to tackle challenges with waste, including plastic, arising from hosting an increasing number of refugees.

IRAN called for respecting alignment with national priorities.

BASEL ACTION NETWORK (BAN) and IPEN cautioned against burning plastics as fuel, supported further work on assessing the effectiveness of the plastics amendments, and called for: all plastic waste to be subject to PIC procedures; banning export from developed to developing countries; removing exemptions for synthetic textiles that cannot be reused and for refused derived fuel; and strengthening interagency coordination and better regulating export from non-parties. IPEN, echoed by the ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (ESDO), cautioned against opening technical guidelines for negotiations until these issues are resolved. ESDO also suggested focusing on transparency, compliance, and enforcement to ensure traceability and close regulatory gaps.

The US cautioned against duplication of efforts and questioned the need to focus on the effectiveness of the BC regarding just one waste stream, recommending a broader review instead.

The ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY (EIA) highlighted persisting illegal traffic of plastics and supported SIWG work to build on real data from the ground, calling for PIC to be extended to all plastics.

The matter was forwarded to the contact group on Technical Matters.

Legal, Compliance, and Governance Matters: National legislation, notifications, enforcement of the Convention and efforts to combat illegal traffic: The Secretariat introduced the document (CHW.17/14).

MYANMAR, MALDIVES, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, and INDIA noted efforts to strengthen national legislation and enforcement while pointing to challenges such as data inconsistencies, misalignment of codes, insufficient coordination between customs and regulatory offices, and limited national capacity. They stressed the need for technical and financial support, including training activities with regional centres and other relevant organizations.

Noting the particular challenges and vulnerabilities faced by Pacific SIDS given their isolation, porous borders, and lack of enforcement capacity, TUVALU called for Pacific SIDS to be prioritized in training and for targeted capacity building.

The COP adopted the draft decision pending budget approval.

Work programme of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) for 2026-2027: The Secretariat presented the proposed work programme (CHW.17/20).

The EU introduced a proposal with Chile, outlined in a Conference Room Paper (CRP) (CHW.17/CRP.3), to add a new item on textile waste to the OEWG agenda, as well as a CRP (CHW.17/CRP.5) on e-waste amendments to Annexes II, VIII, and IX.

CHILE presented CRP.3, outlining the challenges of the rapidly growing textiles waste stream in developing countries stemming from the import of used textiles. They suggested the COP develops a mechanism to allow traceability, and the Secretariat compiles information on a possible way forward on it. They called for textiles to be sorted at origin by authorized entities and criteria to differentiate between reusable and waste textiles.

GHANA echoed Chile’s concerns and welcomed initiating discussions under the BC. JAPAN appreciated the CRP.3 and highlighted data gaps on the scale of the issue and impact on human health and environment, calling for prioritizing data collection and avoiding prejudged action.

CHINA highlighted national efforts on textile wastes, stressing varying definitions across countries, and, together with ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, and INDIA welcomed contact group discussions on CRP.3. CHINA stressed the need for a common method to distinguish between "waste" and "used" e-waste to avoid non-compliance after the entry into force of the e-waste amendment and the Ban amendment, and agreed to discuss the matter further in a contact group.

The EIA supported the CRP on textile waste, stressing that this is not about resource recovery or circularity, but avoiding harm and risk to health and the environment. They urged parties to reevaluate whether BC annexes are fit for purpose, and called for textile waste to be subject to the PIC procedure.

The Secretariat was asked to prepare a revised draft decision. Both CRPs were forwarded to the contact group on Technical Matters.

Contact Groups

SC Listing: The contact group, co-chaired by Lamin Jaiteh (the Gambia) and Timo Seppälä (Finland), met over lunch to discuss the Republic of Korea’s request to extend for five years its entries in the register of specific exemptions for PFOA and PFOS in firefighting foams for liquid fuel vapor suppression and liquid fuel fires.

Delegates queried if the request could be limited to PFOA only or fixed systems only. Neither was possible, because some companies refilled their systems with PFOA foams, which left a legacy PFOS contamination, requiring an extension for both substances, and the foams are in both fixed and mobile systems.

Observers pointed out the ongoing, largely unknown, health, environmental, and cultural damage of PFOS and PFOA in the Arctic. They stressed that continued use risks the health and safety of firefighters. They also pointed out that it is impossible to contain the foams for these uses, as required by the listing for these substances.

The group agreed to the extension request for a four-year period.

A new proposal sought to clarify the chemical identity of medium-chained chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs), and to include a request that the information on the chemical identity be shared throughout the supply chain so end users are aware if their product may be contaminated.

SC Compliance: The group, co-chaired by Sonja Dünnwald (Germany) and Keima Gardiner (Trinidad and Tobago), agreed to a revised text proposed by a party, in consultation with others, for Objective 6 of the 2026–2027 work programme of the Compliance Committee related to technical assistance and financial resources. The revised text states that, as part of the activities that the COP could request the Committee to examine, is to “identify challenges faced by parties in implementing Article 12 and Article 13 of the Convention, taking into account information from parties in, among others, the national reports, and the reports of the financial needs assessment on the needs including how to meet the costs faced by developing country parties, parties with economies in transition, least developed countries and SIDS, and provide recommendations on the support needed under the Convention, including means of implementation.” With this, the contact group agreed to the draft decision and completed its mandate.

BC Technical Matters: The contact group, co-chaired by Nawaf Bilasi (Saudi Arabia) and Martien Janssen (the Netherlands), met throughout the day.

Delegates agreed to include methoxychlor in the technical guidelines on the environmentally sound management (ESM) of waste consisting of, containing, or contaminated with pesticides (CHW.17/5/Add.3) and Dechlorane Plus in the technical guidelines on polybromodiphenyl ethers (BDEs) (CHW.17/5/Add.2). The contact group also agreed to submit the new technical guidelines on UV-328 (CHW.17/5/Add.4) to the COP.

On the technical guidelines on POPs (CHW.17/5/Add.1), delegates did not manage to lower the value for PFOS, its salts, and PFOSF from 50 to 40 mg/kg.

Delegates agreed to remove brackets from the following values: 50 or 500 or 1 000 mg/kg as a sum for BDEs; 50 mg/kg for methoxychlor; 1μg or 5 μg or 15 μg TEQ/kg as a sum for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); and 100 or 1 500 or and 10 000 mg/kg for short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs). They also agreed to remove a proposed value of 50 mg/kg for perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts, and PFHxS-related compounds, and to keep the existing, lower values.

In the afternoon, delegates discussed one group’s proposal to set the low-POP content values for Dechlorane Plus at 10 mg/kg and UV-328 at 15 mg/kg, and another country’s proposal to set both values at 1000 mg/kg. The values remain in brackets, as several countries asked for more time to assess their adequacy.

One delegate presented a draft compilation of available information on low-POP content values for hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) (CHW.17/INF/7), supporting only keeping the middle value of 500 mg/kg in the technical guidelines on POPs. Many countries supported the proposal, one country advocated for the lowest value, and another for the highest value.

This leaves the low-POP content values of Dechlorane Plus, methoxychlor, PFOS, and UV-328 unagreed, and the SIWG will be tasked with coming up with single values when several are provided.

A lengthy discussion ensued after a delegate proposed defining the waste hierarchy as a “guiding approach” for the ESM of wastes, diverging from the wording “guiding principle” used in the technical guidelines on POPs. All other parties opposed the change, emphasizing the need for consistency across BC documents, including the strategic framework. The contact group decided to remove one reference to a “guiding principle” and bracket another.

One delegate opposed the inclusion of gas as a physical form of POP wastes in Table 3 on the “Physical forms and types of POP wastes generated” and asked to add a separate paragraph on gas to reflect national particularities. The contact group agreed to postpone the discussion to the intersessional period 2025-2026.

In the Corridors

Chemicals and waste issues are technical. There’s the legal jargon of the Conventions, the science of the chemicals, and the confusion of globalized supply chains. But there are people at the heart of the Conventions. There were strong reminders of the people disproportionately affected by hazardous chemicals and waste throughout the day.

The Basel Convention is exploring taking up textile waste. It’s a huge global waste stream that connects workers in the Global South handling potentially dangerous chemicals to make the textiles to people in the Global North overconsuming clothing and again to those in developing countries receiving shipments of used clothing. A similar story could be told for plastics, another issue for the second week of this meeting.

Workers and Indigenous Peoples were aggrieved about POPs. Not only because of the chemistry, but because the legalities of the Convention permitted acceptance of a further four years for one country to keep using PFOA and PFOS in firefighting foams for fires involving flammable liquids and gases. A firefighter decried that “you’ve agreed to poison firefighters for another four years.” Delegates also heard how POPs scare Arctic Indigenous Peoples from eating traditional country foods, and how they worry about the unknown effects on their children’s long-term development. It’s the first time the COP has granted an extension to a country’s registered specific exemption, to use the Convention’s jargon.

It was perhaps a useful set of reminders as negotiators passed into 30+ hours of contact group time for SC listing. A bright spot, one negotiator due to fly home, hoped, that MCCPs could finally be defined, legally in the Convention, and technically, for the regulators and industry to enact. As the BC speeds up, the SC goes into overtime, and the RC has yet to launch, the second week is already looking technically—and politically—tricky.