In a year brimming with international talks to improve the global management of chemicals and wastes, the highest-level bodies of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions will convene to tackle prominent issues and the future of the Prior Informed Consent procedure.

While delegates made great progress on a blueprint of a post-2020 instrument on the sound management of chemicals and waste, consensus was elusive in this multi-stakeholder process. Negotiations will continue on the eve of the International Conference on Chemicals Management in Bonn, Germany in September 2023.

Delegates had three days to address the challenges of updating the Basel Convention and its associated tools on issues including e-waste, plastic wastes, and modernizing the prior informed consent (PIC) procedure, while working to ensure the Convention is functioning effectively given the shifting landscape of chemicals and waste policy.

In their discussions toward the establishment of a science-policy panel to contribute to the sound management of chemicals and waste and the prevention of pollution, delegates focused on the scope and functions of the panel. Capacity building attracted particular attention, and was supported as an additional function of the panel.