European Union

Plenary convened in a joint session of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention COPs on Monday morning to hear reports from contact groups. In the morning, Basel Convention (BC) COP 13 convened to consider issues related to the BC Partnership Programme. The Stockholm Convention (SC) COP 8 convened in the late morning to take several decisions, including on the listing of HCBD, decaBDE and SCCPs. In the afternoon, BC COP 13 convened briefly to adopt two decisions, including on the Cartagena Declaration. This was followed by a short session of the SC COP 8, during which delegates adopted a decision on PCBs. Contact groups met throughout the day to address: budget, BC compliance, BC technical matters, BC strategic matters, and Rotterdam Convention effectiveness. In addition, informal groups met on financial resources and on PCBs. Side events were held during the lunch break and in the evening to address a range of topics, including: improving national reporting under the BC; the roadmap for activities under the Environmental Network for Optimizing Regulatory Compliance on Illegal Traffic (ENFORCE); a synergetic approach to the BRS and Minamata Conventions; development of tools to counter illegal management and trade of waste; using the Bamako and Basel Conventions to stop the export to Africa of toxic substances and waste; and the e-trash transparency project. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided digital coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the 2017 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Morning Plenary COP Presidents and the BRS Secretariat speak before the start of plenary Yorg Aerts, Belgium, Co-Chair of the Contact Group on Basel Convention Strategic Matters Juan Ignacio Simonelli, Argentina, Co-Chair of the Contact Group on Basel Convention Compliance Magda Gosk, Poland, Co-Chair of Contact Group on Basel Convention Technical Matters Marco Buletti, Switzerland, Co-Chair of the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PACE) Jane Stratford, UK, Co-Chair of the Contact Group on Synergies and Joint Issues David Ogden, BRS Secretariat Henry Williams, Liberia Leila Devia, Argentina, Chair of ENFORCE Yingxian Xia, China Anil Kumar Rai, India Motsamai Stanley Damane, Lesotho Amina Beibitova, Kazakhstan Satryo Bramono Brotodiningrat, Indonesia Joe DiGangi, International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) Gabriela Nair Medina Amarante, Uruguay, Co-Chair of the Informal Group on Household Waste Peter Ayuk Enoh, Cameroon Contact Groups Throughout the Day Contact Group on Basel Convention Technical Matters Contact Group on Basel Convention Compliance Contact Group on Basel Convention Strategic Matters Afternoon Plenary View of the dais during afternoon plenary Sam Adu-Kumi, Stockholm Convention COP 8 President Kei Ohno, BRS Secretariat Mohammed Khashashneh, Basel Convention COP 13 President Informal consultation takes place with the EU and Iran to finalise the negotiating text Decisions specific to the Stockholm Convention are adopted Side Events Throughout the Day Panel speakers for the side event titled 'Synergetic approach to BRS and Minamata Conventions' hosted by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), Switzerland, BRS and Minamata Secretariats Side event titled 'Roadmap for activities under the ENFORCE' hosted by members of ENFORCE and the Green Customs Initiative Around the Venue Delegates from Indonesia Delegates from Norway Delegates from Sao Tome and Principe Delegates from Morocco Delegates from Mongolia Delegates from Turkey Mark Trewhitt, CropLife International Layla Hughes, Center for International Environmental Law Delegates between sessions Delegates exchange contact details James Mulolo, Basel Convention Regional Centre (BCRC)-South Africa, shares a message of what needs to be 'detoxed' in the world Swiss chocolates on display

The Conferences of the Parties (COP) to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions convened on Friday morning to hear reports from the contact groups. Rotterdam Convention COP 8 convened briefly in the morning to discuss the listing chemicals in Annex III. The Basel Convention then convened to address technical guidelines (excluding POPs waste), the strategic framework, the follow-up to the Indonesian-Swiss country-led initiative to improve the effectiveness of the Basel Convention, and the Cartagena Declaration. In the afternoon, Stockholm Convention COP 8 met to hear an update from the Friends of the President group on compliance, adopt the report of the meeting and decisions on: PFOS, its salts and PFOSF; national implementation plans; and operation of the POPs Review Committee. The BRS COPs then met jointly to adopt a decision on gender mainstreaming and the section of the reports on the joint sessions of the meetings of the COPs. Contact groups on budget, Stockholm Convention listing, and enhancing the effectiveness of the Rotterdam Convention met in the morning, and Basel Convention strategic matters and compliance in the afternoon. Five side events were held on Friday, including on: household waste and the Basel Convention; a launch of the ISO guidance principles for sustainable management of secondary metals; a screening of the film “Trashed;” and the launch of the toolkit for environmentally sound management of waste. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided digital coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the 2017 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Morning Plenary View of the dais during the morning plenary Franz Perrez, Rotterdam Convention COP 8 President Mohammed Khashashneh, Basel Convention COP 13 President Maureen Njeri, Kenya Azizan bin Ahmad, Malaysia Yadira de los Angeles Pilco Pavón, Ecuador Tatiana Ţugui, Moldova Gordana Petkovic, Serbia Francisco Fabian Saez, Argentina Shuji Tamura, Japan Teeraporn Wiriwutikorn, Thailand Andrea Jones Bennett, Jamaica Andreas Jaron, Germany, reporting back on the work of the Basel Convention Expert Working Group on Environmentally Sound Management Delegates during plenary Contact Groups Throughout the Day Contact Group on Stockholm Convention Listing Budget Group Contact Group on Basel Convention Strategic Matters Contact Group on Basel Convention Compliance Afternoon Plenary View of the dais during the afternoon plenary Humphrey Mwale, Zambia, Co-Chair of the Friends of the President Group on Stockholm Convention Compliance Tamara Kukharchyk, Belarus Sam Adu-Kumi, Stockholm Convention COP 8 President Mohammed Ammar Amin, Saudi Arabia Kei Ohno, BRS Secretariat Bangaly Dioumessy, Guinea Pavel Shirokov, Russian Federation Björn Hansen, EU Side Events Throughout the Day Side event titled 'Household wastes – new partnership under the Basel Convention' hosted by members of the informal group on household wastes Panel speakers for the side event titled 'Launch of the ISO guidance principles for the sustainable management of secondary metals' hosted by the World Resources Forum Around the Venue Family photo of delegates who were present for Stockholm Convention COP 1 or the preceding negotiation sessions Delegates speak informally Fagamou Sy Diop, Senegal Franz Perrez, Rotterdam Convention COP 8 President, speaks with a delegate Andreas Jaron, Germany, speaks with Adel Shafei Mohamed Osman, Egypt Delegates between sessions Around the Technology Fair, delegates write messages for what needs to be 'detoxified' Members of different NGOs raise awareness about the impact of toxic substances on children Delegates play a game to test how well they know the warning symbols for dangerous substances

The BRS Conferences of the Parties (COPs) continued Wednesday, first hearing reports from the contact groups. The Stockholm Convention (SC) COP convened throughout the day considering several matters related to implementation of the Convention, including measures to reduce or eliminate releases from intentional production and use and measures to reduce or eliminate releases from unintentional production. Also during the morning, the Basel Convention (BC) technical matters and synergies and joint issues contact groups met. Over lunch, the Budget Group convened. Side events on the electronic reporting formats of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions and measuring the effectiveness of the Stockholm Convention. In the afternoon, the technical assistance and financial resources and SC listing contact groups met. In the evening, BC technical matters, technical assistance and financial resources and SC listing contact groups continued. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided digital coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the 2017 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Morning Plenary View of the dais during the morning plenary Jane Stratford, UK, Co-Chair of Contact Group on Synergies and Joint Issues Jacinthe Séguin, Canada, Co-Chair of Contact Group on Basel Convention Technical Matters Junichi Matsumoto, Japan Leticia Reis de Carvalho, Brazil, Co-Chair of Contact Group on Technical Assistance and Financial Resources Björn Hansen, EU, Co-Chair of Contact Group on Stockholm Convention Listing Abdulkarim Hasan Rashed, Bahrain Jean Claude Emene, Democratic Republic of the Congo Karissa Kovner, US Imogen Ingram, International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) Thiyu Kohoga Essobiyou, Togo Contact Groups Throughout the Day Contact Group on Basel Convention technical matters Contact Group on synergies and joint issues Budget Group Contact Group on Stockholm Convention Listing Contact Group on technical assistance and financial resources Afternoon Plenary View of the dais during afternoon plenary Sam Adu-Kumi, Stockholm Convention COP8 President Pavel Shirokov, Russian Federation Heidar Ali Balouji, Iran Judith Torres, Uruguay Sani Mahazou, Niger Christine Kasedde, Uganda Bangaly Dioumessy, Guinea Juan Miguel Cuna, the Philippines Jacqueline Alvarez, UN Environment Carolyn Vickers, World Health Organization (WHO) Around the Venue Adel Shafei Mohamed Osman, Egypt Delegates speak informally between sessions Delegates review the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) and website to keep track of negotiations UN Security around the venue Delegates from Romania and Moldova Delegates from Maldives Delegates from Switzerland and US Delegates from Mali