10th Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention (OEWG10)

On Thursday, 2 June, the OEWG convened in plenary throughout the day.

In the morning, the OEWG adopted 13 decisions, including on: the mid-term evaluation of the strategic framework; developing guidelines for environmentally sound management (ESM); the Cartagena Declaration on Prevention, Minimization and Recovery of Hazardous Wastes and Other Wastes; technical guidelines on persistent organic pollutant (POP) wastes; technical guidelines on e-waste, including on further work before COP13; national reporting; providing further legal clarity; cooperation with the Committee Administering the Mechanism for Promoting Implementation and Compliance, including on guidance on Basel Convention provisions dealing with the consequences of illegal traffic; follow-up to the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PACE); the creation of a new partnership for the ESM of household wastes; cooperation between the Basel Convention and the International Maritime Organization (IMO); cooperation with the World Customs Organization (WCO) on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System; and the work programme for the OEWG for 2018-2019.

In the afternoon, the OEWG reviewed and approved the meeting report with minor editorial changes, and heard closing statements. After a special presentation honoring Ibrahim Shafii for his years of service in the Secretariat, OEWG10 Co-Chair Lloyd Pascual, Dominica, gaveled the meeting to a close at 4:27 pm.