OEWG5: MONDAY, 3 APRIL 2006

The fifth session of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention (OEWG5) opened on Monday morning, 3 April 2006. Delegates met in plenary during the morning and afternoon, and in contact groups in the afternoon and evening. Basel Convention Executive Secretary Sachiko Kuwabara-Yamamoto opened the meeting by drawing attention to the strategic and programmatic approach developed under the Strategic Plan, and the draft programme budget for 2007-2008. She also noted work on technical guidelines relating to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and identified ship dismantling and financing issues as major topics for OEWG5. After adopting the agenda, the OEWG began work on its main substantive agenda item, engaging in preliminary discussions on topics such as:

the Strategic Plan for the Implementation of the Basel Convention;

Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative;

ship dismantling;

preparation of technical guidelines on POPs and the methodology for further work on POPs; and

financial matters, including budget issues, resource mobilization, and sustainable financing, as well as synergies and cooperation with other chemicals-related treaties; and

As it was apparent that some of these issues would require considerable discussion, two contact groups – on POPs and ship dismantling – were formed. The POPs group met in the afternoon and evening, while the group on ship dismantling met for its first session in the evening. Discussions on ship dismantling began in plenary, and were set to continue on Tuesday morning. A contact group, and sub-groups, are expected to be established on Tuesday to address financing issues.

EC delegate Jill Hannah, on the left, makes an intervention in plenary