A Seychelles delegation is taking part in the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Basel Convention, and the 10th Conference of the Parties of the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions currently taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.
The official opening of the meetings took place on June 6 at the Centre International Conference de Geneve (CICG) under the theme ‘Global Agreements for a Healthy Planet: Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste’.
The main objective of the COPs is to address the issues relating to chemicals and waste on the environment and human health.
During the meetings several amendments focusing on e-wastes will be considered and discussed.
Updated technical guidelines are also expected to be presented and adopted. Those relate mostly to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury wastes.
It is also expected that documents to provide guidance on how to improve specific aspects of the implementation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure will also be presented. Furthermore, listing of new groups of chemicals will also be presented and considered for elimination.
Parties are expected to discuss ways in which the conventions can help to implement the key outcomes of the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5), more specifically, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop the legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.
The Seychelles delegation to the COPs is headed by Nanette Laure (director general for Waste Enforcement and Permit and Head of the delegation) and include Fredrick Kinloch (director for Waste Management and Standards) and Sharon Gerry (senior legal officer) from the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment. The current executive secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions is Rolph Payet from the Seychelles.
Source: Seychelles Nation