Latin American and Caribbean Group

On Monday, 14 August, the Council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) exchanged preliminary views on the draft exploitation regulations that had been submitted by the Secretariat to the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC), and considered draft decisions on: the summary report of the LTC Chair, including a submission from the Netherlands on a tentative approval process of environmentally responsible mining technologies; and future elections of LTC members. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 23rd Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. L-R: Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General; Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General; Christine Griffiths, ISA Secretariat; Ariel Fernández, Argentina, Council President for the 23rd Session; and Gwénaëlle Le Gurun, ISA Secretariat Ariel Fernández, Argentina, Council President for the 23rd Session Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General L-R: Andrés Rojas and Frida Armas-Pfirter, Argentina Tevita Suka Mangisi, Tonga Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group Eduardo Bonilla, Chile René Lefeber, the Netherlands Malakai Finau, Fiji Gaia Puleston, Australia Maruthadu Sudhakar, India Arne Küper, Germany Kathy-Ann Brown, Jamaica Ma Xinmin, China Carlos García Soto, Spain Kate Neilson, New Zealand Arie Poluzzi, Indonesia Gavin Watson, UK Shinichi Yamanaka, Japan Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil, speaking on behalf of GRULAC Jean-Michel Despax, France Ibrahim Zanna, Nigeria Piotr Nowak, Poland L-R: Duncan Currie, Greenpeace; Matthew Gianni, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition; and Simon Walmsley, WWF Karen Tan, Singapore Kristina Gjerde, IUCN Information posters on the ISA L-R: Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General; Wini Broadbelt, the Netherlands; Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General; and René Lefeber, the Netherlands Cecilia Jaber, Mexico (left), in a conversation with delegates from Australia Ariel Fernández, Argentina, Council President for the 23rd Session, with Carlos García Soto, Spain L-R: Elisa Morgera, ENB/IISD Reporting Services, in a discussion with René Lefeber, the Netherlands L-R: Malakai Finau, Fiji, in a conversation with Gwénaëlle Le Gurun and Anna Elaise, ISA Secretariat Delegates from the Republic of Korea consulting

The meetings of the Conferences of the Parties (COPs) of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions concluded on Friday. In the morning, the high-level segment continued. Tim Kasten, UN Environment, reported from ministers roundtable discussions on the theme “A Future Detoxified: the Sound Management of Chemicals and Wastes.” Ministers, Vice-Ministers and Ambassadors then engaged in an interactive discussion. In the afternoon, the COPs adopted their outstanding decisions. Basel Convention COP13 President Mohammed Khashashneh noted that May 5, 2017 is the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Basel Convention. Closing the meeting, BRS Executive Secretary Rolph Payet and Rotterdam Convention Executive Secretary – Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO) Bill Murray thanked delegates for their diligence and efforts to realize cooperation. The Basel Convention COP 13 gaveled to a close at 6:35 pm. The Rotterdam Convention COP 8 gaveled to a close at 6:39 pm. The Stockholm Convention COP 8 gaveled to a close at 6:40 pm. 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. High-Level Segment Delegates gather in plenary for the High-Level Segment Tim Kasten, Deputy Director, Economy Division, UN Environment Moderator Juliette Foster, Broadcaster and Journalist Marc Chardonnens, Director, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland Ministerial Panel during the High-Level Segment Oppah Chamu Muchinguri, Minister of Environment, Water and Climate, Zimbabwe Khaled Fahmy, Minister of Environment, Egypt Carole Dieschbourg, Minister for the Environment, Luxembourg Rosalie Matondo, Minister of Forest Economy, Sustainable Development and Environment, Republic of the Congo Singappuli Premajayantha, Minister of Environment and Renewable Energy, Sri Lanka Noel Holder, Minister of Agriculture, Guyana Sydney Samuels, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Guatemala Arlette Sombo-Dibele, Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development, Water, Forests, Hunting and Fishing, Central African Republic Etienne Didier Dogley, Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Seychelles Sundus Omar Ali, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iraq Marcos Alegre, Vice Minister of Environmental Management, Peru Kare Chawicha Debessa, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Ethiopia Walter Garcia, Minister of Environment, Ecuador Nestor Batio Bassiere, Minister of Environment, Green Economy and Climate Change, Burkina Faso Adalah Atteereh, Chairman, Environment Quality Authority, Palestine Mehmet Ceylan, Deputy Minister of Environment and Urbanization, Turkey Santiago Francisco Engonga Esono, Secretary of State, Ministry of Forests and the Environment, Equatorial Guinea Per Änquist, Ministry of the Environment and Energy, Sweden Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, BRS Conventions Closing Plenary COP Presidents and BRS Secretariat consult before the start of the closing plenary Sam Adu-Kumi, Stockholm Convention COP 8 President Franz Perrez, Rotterdam Convention COP 8 President Mohammed Khashashneh, Basel Convention COP 13 President Delegates applaud the election of the new bureau Final negotiations take place among the Co-Chairs of the Contact Group on Technical Assistance and Financial Resources, the EU, Egypt, and India Fredrick Mupoti Sikabongo, Namibia Anne Daniel, Canada Mohsen Naziriasl, Iran Iftikhar-ul-Hassan Gilani, Pakistan Lemnyuy Albun William Banye, Cameroon Francisco Fabian Saez, Argentina, speaking on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC) Felix Wertli, Switzerland Serge Molly Allo'o Allo'o, Gabon, speaking on behalf of the African Group Pamela Miller, International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) James Mulolo, Basel Convention Regional Centre (BCRC)-South Africa Sarojeni Rengam, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Asia and the Pacific Bill Murray, Executive Secretary, Rotterdam Convention - Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO) Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, BRS Conventions BRS COPs family photo Around the Venue Delegates from Cambodia Delegates from the Marshall Islands Delegates from Saudi Arabia with Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Delegates from Switzerland and Liechtenstein Delegates from Australia Delegates from Argentina Nestor Batio Bassiere, Minister of Environment, Green Economy and Climate Change, Burkina Faso, speaks with delegates Osvaldo Patricio Álvarez Pérez, Chile, incoming Rotterdam Convention COP 9 President, with Bill Murray, Executive Secretary, Rotterdam Convention - FAO Mahamat Djimadingar, Chad Mohammed Khashashneh, Basel Convention COP 13 President, conducts an interview Shankar Prasad, Nepal Delegates between sessions The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) team covering the meeting (L-R): Annelies van Gaalen, South Africa; Tallash Kantai, Kenya; Jessica Templeton, US/UK; Yixian Sun, China; Jen Allan, Canada; Jonelle Jones, Trinidad and Tobago; and Kiara Worth, South Africa