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During this virtual meeting, the Committee finalized its work on two industrial chemicals: decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds. The CRC agreed to recommend that the Conference of the Parties (COP) list both industrial chemicals in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention. 

The online meeting featured robust discussions on what more the Basel Convention should do on plastic wastes, waste lead-acid batteries, and transboundary e-waste shipments.

The Global Environment Facility Council's 58th meeting appointed a new CEO and Chairperson. Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Costa Rica's Environment and Energy Minister, will lead the GEF, with Naoko Ishii leaving after eight years. The GEF Council also agreed a work program with resources totaling USD 645.4 million. The GEF Council met online for the first time due to COVID-19. 

The 57th meeting of the Global Environment Facility Council adopted a Work Program, comprising 48 projects and five programs, with total resources amounting to USD 588.5 million. The Council discussed a proposed private sector engagement strategy and heard updates by the Conventions on activities leading up to “super year 2020."

The third meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP3) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury focused on achieving the smooth functioning of an international treaty body as well as substantive and technical issues aimed at fostering action to address mercury production and use around the world.

After a meeting dominated by questions about what constitutes a risk evaluation under the Rotterdam Convention, the Committee decided that two of the four chemicals considered met the criteria for listing banned or severely restricted chemicals. The others will be considered at the next meeting in 2022.