UNEP/CHW.10/4

UNITED
NATIONS / / BC
UNEP/CHW.10/4
/ Distr.: General
6 September 2011
Original: English

Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention
on the Control of Transboundary Movements of
Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
Tenth meeting

Cartagena, Colombia, 17–21 October 2011

Item 3 (a) (ii) of the provisional agenda

Matters related to the implementation of the Convention:
strategic issues:Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres

Review and strengthening of the operation of the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres

Note by the Secretariat

Introduction

  1. By its decision IX/4, the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal requested the Secretariat, subject to the availability of funds, to prepare the following four documents to be published onthe website of the Basel Convention by 30 November 2009 and to be submitted to the Open-ended Working Group at its seventh session:

(a)Draft workplan for the strengthening of the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres, taking into account the catalogue of actions set out in section 3 of the report by the Secretariat (UNEP/CHW.9/INF/6);

(b)Detailed list of the necessary elements for the performance of the core functions based on appendices I and II to decision VI/3;

(c)Draft strategic framework for the financial sustainability of the centres that would assist the centres in developing strategies for their financial sustainability, including exploring the use of the Trust Fund to Assist Developing Countries and other Countries in Need of Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (Technical Cooperation Trust Fund);

(d)Set of indicators to measure performance and impediments in relation to the centres’ functions and impacts.

  1. The Conference of the Parties also mandated the Open-ended Working Group,in finalizing the workplan for strengthening the centres, based on the above-mentioned draft to be prepared by the Secretariat, to consider the actions proposed in the workplan and to submit the final workplan to the Conference of the Parties at its tenth meeting for consideration and adoption.
  2. The Secretariat prepared the documents referred to in paragraph 1 above, published them on its website on 30 November 2009 and submitted them to the Open-ended Working Group for consideration at its seventh session (UNEP/CHW/OEWG/7/INF/4). It also made available a compilation of comments on the documents (UNEP/CHW/OEWG/7/INF/4/Add.1).
  3. By its decision OEWG-VII/2, the Open-ended Working Group invited parties, signatories and the centres to submit comments on the four documents by 15 November 2010 and requested the Secretariat to finalize the draft workplan for the strengthening of the centres for consideration and possible adoption by the Conference of the Parties at its tenth meeting.
  4. Comments on the above four documents received from nine parties and three centres in response to the Working Group’s invitationhave been compiled in document UNEP/CHW.10/INF/3.
  5. In accordance with decision OEWG-VII/2, finalized draft versions of the four documents that take into account the discussions on them at the seventh session of the Open-ended Working Groupand the comments received from parties, signatories and the centreshave beenprepared by the Secretariat and are set out in document UNEP/CHW.10/INF/2.

I.Implementation

  1. In response to decision IX/4, the Secretariat has increasingly focused on facilitating and playing a catalytic role in mobilizing financial resources and technical assistance and in supporting project work carried out by the centres and other partners, rather than taking a lead role itself. In addition, the Secretariat has been providing guidance on improving the centres’ governance and administration. Additional information on capacity-building for the implementation of the Convention can be found in document UNEP/CHW.10/22, and information on resource mobilization and sustainable financing indocument UNEP/CHW.10/25.
  1. Development of the centres

1.Coordinated use of regional centres

  1. During the reporting period, the Secretariat, in collaboration with the centres,prepared a handbook to enhance the centres’ operation andco-organized two workshops aimed at the centres’further development. The first workshop,held from 28 September to 2 October 2009 in Geneva,was organized in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. It dealt with the issue of enhancing cooperation between the Basel Convention and the Stockholm Convention regional centres.
  2. A second joint workshop was organized in collaboration with the secretariats of the Stockholm Convention and the Rotterdam Conventionon the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the regional offices of the UnitedNations Environment Programme. It was held from 27 September to 1 October 2010 at the Stockholm Convention regional centre in Barcelona, Spain. It included the sixth session of the consultative meeting of the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres, which was a planning meeting to assess the centres’ progress. The workshop served to identify opportunities to promote collaboration between the centres, to foster South-South cooperation, to encourage the cross-fertilization of ideas and to share experiences between various regional entities in technical assistance activities. Training was undertaken in resource mobilization and preparation of project proposals, in addition totrain-the-trainers activitiesforCustoms officials on their role in implementing and enforcing the three conventions. Information on the workshops and meetings isavailable at

2.Business plans

  1. The table shows a list of the centres that havesubmitted theirbusiness plans for the period
    2009–2011 as requested in decision IX/4.

Centre / Location
Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Arab States / Egypt
Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the African Region / Nigeria
Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for French-speaking Countries in Africa / Senegal
Africa Institute for Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous and Other Wastes / South Africa
Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Asia and Pacific Region / China
Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for South-East Asia / Indonesia
Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer in Tehran / Islamic Republic of Iran
Pacific Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Joint Implementation of the Basel and Waigani Conventions in the South Pacific Region Integrated Within the SPREP / Samoa
Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for Countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States / Russian Federation
Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for Central Europe / Slovakia
Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the South American Region / Argentina
Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Central America Sub-region including Mexico / El Salvador
Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Caribbean Region / Trinidad and Tobago
Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Latin America and Caribbean Region / Uruguay
  1. Thebusiness plans are available on the website of the Basel Convention at

B.Collaboration with the Rotterdam and Stockholmconventions

  1. During the reporting period, the centres implemented or supported activities related to the Rotterdamand Stockholm conventions and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management. Information can be found indocuments UNEP/CHW.10/INF/38 and UNEP/CHW.10/INF/39, UNEP/CHW/OEWG/7/INF/12 and UNEP/SBC/BUREAU/9/2/2.
  2. The following centres were endorsed as Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres for capacity-building and the transfer of technology at the fourth and fifth meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention: Basel Convention Regional Centre for French-speaking countries in Africa (BCRC-Senegal), Africa Institute for the Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous and Other Wastes (BCRC-South Africa), Basel Convention Regional Centre for the Asia and the Pacific Region (BCRC-China), Basel Convention Regional Centre in Tehran (BCRC-I. R. of Iran), Basel Convention Regional Centre for CIS countries-Autonomous NonProfit Organization – Centre for International Projects[1] (BCRC-Russian Federation) and Basel Convention Regional and Coordinating Centre for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region (BCCC-Uruguay).
  3. In the light of the financial contributions made by the Governments of Norway and Sweden for the joint implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, during the reporting period the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention expanded its small grant programme for the regional centres to encompassthe joint implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, and invited the secretariats of the Basel and Rotterdam conventions to join the programme. The Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres and the Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres were invited to submit project proposals addressing the joint implementation of the conventions. Information on joint implementation is available in documents UNEP/CHW.10/INF/38 and UNEP/POPS/COP.5/INF/39.

C.Relation to the new strategic framework for the implementation of the Basel Convention for 2012–2021

  1. The draft strategic framework for the implementation of the Basel Convention for 2012–2021 allocates responsibility for regional implementation and cooperationto the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres.More information is available in documents UNEP/CHW.10/3 and UNEP/CHW.10/INF/34.

D.Relationship to the Indonesian-Swiss country-led initiative to improve the effectiveness of the Basel Convention

  1. The further strengthening of the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres is proposed in chapter 4 of the draft decision onthe Indonesian-Swiss country-led initiative set out in document UNEP/CHW.10/5.

II.Proposed action

  1. The Conference of the Parties may wish to adopt a decision along the following lines:

The Conference of the Parties,

Acknowledging the comments by parties and the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres on the strengthening of the centres,[2]

Recognizing the host countries’ contributions towards the operation of the centres and the contributions of the countries served by the centres,

Recognizing also the financial and technical assistance provided by donors to support the operation of the centres,

Recognizing furtherthe role of the centres in the context of decisions on strategic matters pertaining to the Basel Convention,

1. Approves the following documents:

(a)Workplan for the strengthening of the centres;

(b)Detailed list of the necessary elements for the performance of the core functions based on appendices I and II to decision VI/3;

(c)Strategic framework for the financial sustainability of the centres that would assist the centres in developing strategies for their financial sustainability;

(d)Set of indicators to measure performance and impediments in relation to the centres’ functions and impacts;[3]

2.Requests the centres to submit the following materials to the Secretariat for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its eleventh meeting:

(a)Business plans for the biennium 2012–2013, by 30 March 2012;

(b)Activity reports for the period January 2011–June 2013 and business plans for the biennium 2014–2015, by 28 June 2013;

3.Requests the Secretariat to provide guidance on effective governance and administrative arrangements for the centres, subject to the availability of resources;

4.Encourages the centres to strive to mobilize financial resources for the implementation of their activities with the aim of assistingparties in the implementation of their obligations under the Convention;

5.Urges parties and signatories, especially donor countries, and invitesother stakeholders in a position to do so and, where appropriate, multilateral donors to provide necessary financial and technical support directly to the centres’ activities and projects in order to enable the centres to operate in accordance with their core functions and roles;

6.Requests the Secretariat to report on the implementation of the present decisionto the Conference of the Parties at its eleventh meeting.

______

1

UNEP/CHW.10/1.

[1]The endorsement of this centre as a Stockholm Convention regional centre will enter into effect upon the deposit of the instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession to the Stockholm Convention by the Russian Federation.

[2]UNEP/CHW.10/INF/3.

[3]UNEP/CHW.10/INF/2.