UNEP CHW OEWG 4 1.

Comments by the Philippines

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References Basel Convention

The Basel Convention Secretariat manages the Fund.

Background The Basel Convention

The response to the Basel Convention request would be submitted to the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention for consideration at its third meeting and forwarded to the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention.

Response to the request by the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention at its seventh meeting

Members of the Basel Convention Open ended Working Group and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention could provide relevant expertise.

C. Response to the request by the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention at its seventh meeting

The representative of the Basel Convention Secretariat made a brief presentation on the issue.

Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal mandate

Paragraph 1 of Article 14 of the Basel Convention states that

The Basel Convention COP at its last session considered a report prepared by the Expanded Bureau and the OEWG entitled, Mobilizing resources for a cleaner future implementing the Basel Convention. In discussing the Technical Cooperation Trust Fund, the report concluded

There is no direct mechanism under the Basel Convention to fund the operations of these regional centres.

Mobilizing Resources for a Cleaner Future Implementing the Basel Convention, UNEP CHW.7 INF 8 (2004), http www.basel.int meetings cop cop7 docs i08e.pdf.

SBC has two types of agreements currently used for contractual purposes with institutions that are acting as BCRCs one for a BCRC established as a national institution with regional roles, and one for a BCRC established as an intergovernmental institution.

The Basel Secretariat would examine the possibility of holding such a meeting in conjunction with the meeting of the Open ended Working Group of the Basel Convention, to be held in early April 2006.

There has been commendable progress on the Basel 3 capital requirements for banks, with 25 of 27 Basel Committee members having issued final rules.

The intergovernmental institution type of agreement provides oversight for a BCRC through a general assembly composed of Parties to the Convention in the region and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention.

Analysis of the implications for the Stockholm Convention of the guidelines on persistent organic pollutant wastes adopted under the Basel Convention

International outrage over this practice led to the negotiation and adoption in 1989 of the Basel Convention.

United Nations Environment Programme, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, Origins of the Convention (undated), http www.basel.int pub basics.html top.

Mobilizing Resources for a Cleaner Future Implementing the Basel Convention, UNEP CHW.7 INF 8, at 15 (2004).

Moreover, because effective implementation of the Rotterdam Convention may further the aim of waste minimization under the Basel Convention, Rotterdam related benefits could likely be achieved at a modest incremental cost if the Basel Convention had adequate provisions for project finance.

While this type of framework agreement is available, only the BCRC in South Africa is in the process of entering into such an agreement with SBC.

For example, the Basel Convention Technical Cooperation Trust Fund, which relies on voluntary contributions, has been able to provide only limited and generally inadequate resources, leading Basel Convention parties to begin the process of determining the feasibility of appropriate and predictable financial mechanisms for the Basel Convention.

Five BCRCs have signed formal agreements with the Secretariat of the Basel Convention to host regional centres and operate under this type of agreement with host Governments.

In effect, each BCRC has to source its own funds as there is only limited financial support from the host country and the Parties to the Basel Convention.

The Expert Group proposes that the working group should meet, at a time to be determined in consultation with the Stockholm Convention Secretariat, to develop a substantial response to the Basel Convention request.

Can Minsk 2.0 Save Ukraine?

Welcomes also the recommendation of the Open Ended Working Group of the Basel Convention made at its fourth session requesting the secretariat of the Basel Convention to cooperate with the secretariats of the Stockholm and Rotterdam conventions in preparation of the study on cooperation and synergies referred to in paragraph 2 above

The agreements to establish the centres made between SBC, in the name of the Conference of the Parties, and the representatives of the Government of the country hosting or willing to host the BCRCs are important to their operation.

Rule 26, paragraph 6, of the rules of procedure of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention provides

The general assembly elects an executive board consisting of representatives from the Parties in the region, the host Government and SBC.

Requests the secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention to join this work by contributing to the study on cooperation and synergies with the Basel and Stockholm convention secretariats

Indeed, the Montreal Protocol is frequently considered more akin to the Climate Convention than to other chemicals agreements like the Basel or Stockholm Conventions.

Guidance elements for the detection, prevention and control of illegal traffic in hazardous wastes draft training manual for the enforcement of laws implementing the Basel Convention

Accordingly, experts considered how best to respond to the invitation from the Basel Convention within the current meeting and intersessionally.

Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal, 22 March 1989, http www.basel.int text documents.html.

Sustainable Financing, Decision VII 40, Basel Convention COP 7 Report, UNEP CHW.7 33, at 78 (2005).

During the ensuing discussion, it was noted that the Stockholm Convention was a recent convention which focused on persistent organic pollutants whereas the Basel Convention was long established and had extensive experience in the area of waste management.

The general technical guidelines developed under the Basel Convention address matters related to all three of the outstanding definitional issues raised in paragraph 2 of Article 6 of the Stockholm Convention.

The earlier republic federal regulations in the field of education have been implemented as the applicable cantonal regulations until the cantonal regulations have been adopted.