Latin American and Caribbean Group

Highlights for Friday, 19 July 2019 Informal consultations during the morning session On Friday, the Council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) finalized its deliberations, addressing all pending agenda items, including: the report on matters relating to the Enterprise; issues relating to the election of members of the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC), and the LTC Chair report; and the pattern of meetings for the Council and LTC for 2020.Highlights of the day included: a lengthy discussion on a draft decision submitted by the African Group and GRULAC aiming to address equitable geographical representation as well as necessary expertise in the election of LTC members; exchange of opinions on the pros and cons of using remote simultaneous interpretation services for the Assembly and the Council in 2020; agreement on a decision relating to the reports of the LTC Chair, including the intention to ensure the thorough and timely development of necessary standards and regulations; and the general cordial atmosphere among the Council members, despite disagreements, which allows cautious optimism regarding the next steps. Two side events took place at lunchtime: one organized by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), which addressed an environmental impact assessment study performed by JAMSTEC in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone as well as the development of technology to evaluate plume dispersion; and the other hosted by Global Sea Mineral Resources offering an update of its project.For more details on the day’s events and to hear what delegates said in the breezeways, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB). IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 2nd Part of ISA-25. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis from the meeting, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page A view of the Council from the dais perspective Wini Broadbelt, the Netherlands Pavel Kavina, Czech Republic Ernesto Malda and Anais Vivanco, Mexico Patrik Schotte, Belgium Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil Ingo Narberhaus, Germany, in discussions with Wini Broadbelt, the Netherlands Pauline Mcharo, Kenya Luke Tang, Singapore Lee Hyun Seung, Republic of Korea, consulting with Clement Yow Mulalaps, Federated States of Micronesia Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, conferring with Khurshed Alam, Bangladesh Liu Feng and Li Lin Lin, China Luke Roughton, New Zealand, and Gina Guillén Grillo, Costa Rica Mariusz Orion Jędrysek and Andrzej Przybycin, Poland Delegates from Germany and the UK discussing during a break. L-R: Patrik Schotte, Belgium; Nicole Lyas, Australia; and Kenneth Wong, Canada L-R: Petero Okotai, Cook Islands; Alison Swaddling, the Commonwealth Secretariat; and Josh Mitchell, Cook Islands L-R: Alexandre Rodríguez, Spain; Megan Jungwiwattanaporn, The Pew Charitable Trusts; Pippa Howard and Lisa Levin, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) L-R: Ernesto Malda and Anais Vivanco, Mexico, and Wang Rong, Singapore L-R: Sarah Jones, UK; Amber Cobley, ISA Secretariat; Adrian Glover, UK; Malcolm Clark, New Zealand; Samantha Smith, Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR); and Becky Hitchin, UK The Chinese delegation discusses the latest ENB report with Wang Yan (right), ENB Eleanor Petch and Margaret Purdasy, UK Hannah Lily, the Commonwealth, and Josh Mitchell, Cook Islands L-R: John Parianos, Tonga Offshore Mining Limited (TOML); Jennifer Warren, Lockheed Martin Corporation; and Harald Brekke, Norway L-R: Cristóbal Hernández, Gloria Ramos, Francisco Javier Bernales, Manuel José Fernández, and Roberto Álvarez, Chile The delegation from the Netherlands Participants between sessions

Highlights for Friday, 10 May 2019 Osvaldo Álvarez-Pérez, Rotterdam Convention COP9 President, Mohammed Khashashneh, Stockholm Convention COP9 President, and Abraham Zivayi Matiza, Basel Convention COP14 President, gavel the BRS COPs 2019 to a close On the 11th and final day of the 2019 meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, delegates worked intensively to finalize work on a range of issues. A highlight of the day was the consensus-based decision to address plastic wastes under the Basel Convention. This agreement was welcomed with cheers in the plenary room, as delegates lauded what many consider to be a historic decision on an issue of global concern. Parties to the Basel Convention also adopted, on an interim basis, technical guidelines on environmentally sound management of electrical and electronic wastes (e-wastes). These guidelines can now be implemented, even as the Expert Working Group continues its work to address questions about export of wastes for refurbishment.The Rotterdam Convention also sought to conclude its agenda and met with mixed results. A key success was adoption of a decision to enhance the effectiveness of the Convention, which will improve the listing process under the RC, as well as information exchange among parties. However, the informal consultations held over the past few days to seek agreement to list additional chemicals in Annex III of the Convention met with no success. Despite the recommendation of the Chemical Review Committee to subject acetochlor, carbosulfan, fenthion, and paraquat to the prior informed consent (PIC) procedure, delegates were unable to reach consensus on this issue. The chemicals will be referred to the next meeting of the COP for further consideration.Plenary was suspended in the early evening to allow delegates to finalize details related to the budget. Delegates reconvened at 8pm for the adoption of the programme of work and budget for 2020-21 and closing statements. The meetings were gaveled to a close at 10:13 pm. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 2019 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. The summary and analysis report is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Morning Plenary: Joint Session View of the plenary from the dais Manoj Kumar Gangeya, Co-Chair, Contact Group on Plastics Andrew McNee, Co-Chair, Contact Group on Effectiveness Jozef Buys, Belgium, is thanked in plenary for his 20 years of service within the chemicals process Abdoulaye Moussa Abderamon, Chad Franz Perrez, Switzerland María Florencia Grimalt, Argentina Peter Opiyo, Kenya, speaking on behalf of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Sudan Reginald Hernaus, Co-Chair, Contact Group on Technical Assistance and Financial Resources Bechir Simpara, Mali Noluzuko 'Zukie' Gwayi, South Africa Italo Andrés Flamenco Córdova, El Salvador Heidar Ali Balouji, Iran Roger Baro, Burkina Faso Contact Groups Contact Group on Programme of Work and Budget Contact Group on Plastics Signing Ceremony Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP, signs an MOU with Abraham Zivayi Matiza, Basel Convention COP14 President, Mohammed Khashashneh, Stockholm Convention COP9 President, and Osvaldo Álvarez-Pérez, Rotterdam Convention COP9 President, which is handed to Hans Dreyer, Executive Secretary, Rotterdam Convention, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) (respectively) Closing Plenary View of the dais during the closing plenary Natalia Kostenko, Russian Federation Serge Molly Allo'o Allo'o, Gabon Mohammed Bin Majid Al-Kasbi, Oman Xuezhi Xiao, China Carlos Garcia Castillo, Peru Sophie Bernier, Canada Sverre Thomas Jahre, Norway Jim Puckett, Basel Action Network (BAN) Kei Ohno Woodall, BRS Conventions Secretariat Delegates from Norway and Japan celebrate the adoption of their proposal to address plastics Delegates applaud the conclusion of the BRS COPs Delegation Photos Group of Latin America and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC) family photo Family photo of the European Region Delegates from Indonesia Delegates from Egypt Delegates from Bolivia Delegates from New Zealand Delegates from Montenegro and Mongolia Delegates from El Salvador Mohammed Khashashneh, Stockholm Convention COP9 President, with delegates from Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, and Kuwait Delegates from Saudi Arabia Delegates from Nicaragua Delegates from Iran Delegates from Maldives and Palestine with the Stockholm Convention COP9 President Delegates from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Around the Venue Gillian Guthrie, Jamaica Delegates from Iraq consult Delegates from Switzerland and Argentina consult Carlos Martin-Novella, BRS Deputy Executive Secretary Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, BRS Conventions, with Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP Alton Lukhele and Bianca Hlob'sile Dlamini, eSwatini Stephanie Laruelle, BRS Secretariat, and Jacob Duer, Chief, Chemicals and Health Branch, UNEP Members of the Secretariat with Hans Dreyer, Executive Secretary, Rotterdam Convention, FAO (center) The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) team covering the BRS COPs: Jen Allan; Canada/UK; Olivia Pasini, Switzerland; Jessica Templeton, US/UK; Annelies van Gaalen, South Africa; Tallash Kantai, Kenya; Priscila Pereira de Andrade, Brazil; and Kiara Worth, South Africa