Summary
The tenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG10) of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal opened in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday, 30 May 2016.
In the morning, parties discussed several strategic issues, including work on developing guidelines for environmentally sound management (ESM), and the follow-up to the Cartagena Declaration on the Prevention, Minimization and Recovery of Hazardous Wastes, including a draft guidance to assist parties in developing efficient strategies for achieving the prevention and minimization of the generation of hazardous and other wastes and their disposal. The OEWG established a Strategic Matters Contact Group to develop draft decisions on both. Canada introduced a proposal on the mid-term review of the Strategic Framework. On technical issues, delegates considered technical guidelines on wastes consisting of, containing or contaminated with persistent organic pollutants (POPs), focusing their discussion on how best to handle low-POPs wastes. A Technical Matters Contact Group was established to further discuss this issue.
In the afternoon, delegates returned to technical issues. They discussed further work on the technical guidelines on electrical and electronic wastes (e-waste), and this referred to the Technical Matters Contact Group. The OEWG also assigned to this same Group an examination of the proposed list of waste streams for which practical guidance on inventory could be developed, and consideration of whether to update existing technical guidelines on incineration on land, on specially engineered landfill and on hazardous waste physico-chemical treatment and biological treatment.
On legal matters, delegates discussed the draft glossary on terms and definitions, and the review of Annexes I, III and IV and related aspects of Annex IX to the Basel Convention. A Legal Matters Contact Group was created to discuss these issues further.
The OEWG also discussed the progress report since the 12th Conference of the Parties (COP12) in the work of the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PACE). The Strategic Matters Contact Group was mandated to prepare a draft decision on the guidance document and draft concept of a follow-up partnership to PACE.
In the evening, the contact groups on technical matters and strategic matters met.
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L-R: Kei Ohno-Woodall, BRS Secretariat; Co-Chair Santiago Dávila Sena, Spain; and Co-Chair Lloyd Pascal, Dominica
Reginald Hernaus, The Netherlands, speaking on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
Kerstin Stendahl, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, delivered an opening statement.
Anne Daniel, Canada, intervening regarding the mid-term evaluation of the strategic framework.
Agustina Camilli, Uruguay, speaking on behalf of GRULAC.
Participants during the first day of OEWG10