European Union

The Conferences of the Parties (COP) to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions convened on Friday morning to hear reports from the contact groups. Rotterdam Convention COP 8 convened briefly in the morning to discuss the listing chemicals in Annex III. The Basel Convention then convened to address technical guidelines (excluding POPs waste), the strategic framework, the follow-up to the Indonesian-Swiss country-led initiative to improve the effectiveness of the Basel Convention, and the Cartagena Declaration. In the afternoon, Stockholm Convention COP 8 met to hear an update from the Friends of the President group on compliance, adopt the report of the meeting and decisions on: PFOS, its salts and PFOSF; national implementation plans; and operation of the POPs Review Committee. The BRS COPs then met jointly to adopt a decision on gender mainstreaming and the section of the reports on the joint sessions of the meetings of the COPs. Contact groups on budget, Stockholm Convention listing, and enhancing the effectiveness of the Rotterdam Convention met in the morning, and Basel Convention strategic matters and compliance in the afternoon. Five side events were held on Friday, including on: household waste and the Basel Convention; a launch of the ISO guidance principles for sustainable management of secondary metals; a screening of the film “Trashed;” and the launch of the toolkit for environmentally sound management of waste. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided digital coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the 2017 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Morning Plenary View of the dais during the morning plenary Franz Perrez, Rotterdam Convention COP 8 President Mohammed Khashashneh, Basel Convention COP 13 President Maureen Njeri, Kenya Azizan bin Ahmad, Malaysia Yadira de los Angeles Pilco Pavón, Ecuador Tatiana Ţugui, Moldova Gordana Petkovic, Serbia Francisco Fabian Saez, Argentina Shuji Tamura, Japan Teeraporn Wiriwutikorn, Thailand Andrea Jones Bennett, Jamaica Andreas Jaron, Germany, reporting back on the work of the Basel Convention Expert Working Group on Environmentally Sound Management Delegates during plenary Contact Groups Throughout the Day Contact Group on Stockholm Convention Listing Budget Group Contact Group on Basel Convention Strategic Matters Contact Group on Basel Convention Compliance Afternoon Plenary View of the dais during the afternoon plenary Humphrey Mwale, Zambia, Co-Chair of the Friends of the President Group on Stockholm Convention Compliance Tamara Kukharchyk, Belarus Sam Adu-Kumi, Stockholm Convention COP 8 President Mohammed Ammar Amin, Saudi Arabia Kei Ohno, BRS Secretariat Bangaly Dioumessy, Guinea Pavel Shirokov, Russian Federation Björn Hansen, EU Side Events Throughout the Day Side event titled 'Household wastes – new partnership under the Basel Convention' hosted by members of the informal group on household wastes Panel speakers for the side event titled 'Launch of the ISO guidance principles for the sustainable management of secondary metals' hosted by the World Resources Forum Around the Venue Family photo of delegates who were present for Stockholm Convention COP 1 or the preceding negotiation sessions Delegates speak informally Fagamou Sy Diop, Senegal Franz Perrez, Rotterdam Convention COP 8 President, speaks with a delegate Andreas Jaron, Germany, speaks with Adel Shafei Mohamed Osman, Egypt Delegates between sessions Around the Technology Fair, delegates write messages for what needs to be 'detoxified' Members of different NGOs raise awareness about the impact of toxic substances on children Delegates play a game to test how well they know the warning symbols for dangerous substances

The BRS Conferences of the Parties (COPs) continued Wednesday, first hearing reports from the contact groups. The Stockholm Convention (SC) COP convened throughout the day considering several matters related to implementation of the Convention, including measures to reduce or eliminate releases from intentional production and use and measures to reduce or eliminate releases from unintentional production. Also during the morning, the Basel Convention (BC) technical matters and synergies and joint issues contact groups met. Over lunch, the Budget Group convened. Side events on the electronic reporting formats of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions and measuring the effectiveness of the Stockholm Convention. In the afternoon, the technical assistance and financial resources and SC listing contact groups met. In the evening, BC technical matters, technical assistance and financial resources and SC listing contact groups continued. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided digital coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the 2017 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Morning Plenary View of the dais during the morning plenary Jane Stratford, UK, Co-Chair of Contact Group on Synergies and Joint Issues Jacinthe Séguin, Canada, Co-Chair of Contact Group on Basel Convention Technical Matters Junichi Matsumoto, Japan Leticia Reis de Carvalho, Brazil, Co-Chair of Contact Group on Technical Assistance and Financial Resources Björn Hansen, EU, Co-Chair of Contact Group on Stockholm Convention Listing Abdulkarim Hasan Rashed, Bahrain Jean Claude Emene, Democratic Republic of the Congo Karissa Kovner, US Imogen Ingram, International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) Thiyu Kohoga Essobiyou, Togo Contact Groups Throughout the Day Contact Group on Basel Convention technical matters Contact Group on synergies and joint issues Budget Group Contact Group on Stockholm Convention Listing Contact Group on technical assistance and financial resources Afternoon Plenary View of the dais during afternoon plenary Sam Adu-Kumi, Stockholm Convention COP8 President Pavel Shirokov, Russian Federation Heidar Ali Balouji, Iran Judith Torres, Uruguay Sani Mahazou, Niger Christine Kasedde, Uganda Bangaly Dioumessy, Guinea Juan Miguel Cuna, the Philippines Jacqueline Alvarez, UN Environment Carolyn Vickers, World Health Organization (WHO) Around the Venue Adel Shafei Mohamed Osman, Egypt Delegates speak informally between sessions Delegates review the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) and website to keep track of negotiations UN Security around the venue Delegates from Romania and Moldova Delegates from Maldives Delegates from Switzerland and US Delegates from Mali