7th December 2018: Geneva, Switzerland - With UN Environment reporting that 12,000 million tonnes of plastic will be in landfills or in the natural environment by 2050 under current trends¹, the international community mobilised in Geneva, Switzerland this week to explore ways to tackle marine plastics litter, one of the most visible and pressing environmental issues of our time.

Improved governance, a holistic approach, a possible new global treaty, strengthening existing initiatives and instruments, and better coordination among them, were considered as options, which will go to the next UN Environment Assembly, UNEA-4 in Nairobi next March, for consideration and actioning.

One existing legally-binding instrument, the Basel Convention, was recognised as a valuable avenue for governments and stakeholders to tackle plastic pollution, given it is almost universal and has a number of relevant features, with amendments being discussed at its next conference of the parties next year. Focussing on tackling waste generation at source and at the household level, a Basel Convention Partnership on Household Waste was initiated in 2017 to explore and disseminate innovative solutions, an integrated approach, avoidance and minimisation of waste at source as well systems for the collection, separation, transport, storage, treatment, processing, recycling and where necessary, final disposal, of household waste. More information is available here: https://www.basel.int/?tabid=5082.

Responding to the call for urgency and to improve actions in the Mediterranean region, strengthened cooperation between international agreements was announced on Friday 6^th December, with the secretariats of the Barcelona Convention² and the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions³ signing a new memorandum of understanding aimed at boosting regional efforts including to beat plastic pollution.

Next, the Basel Convention’s Conference of the Parties (COP), in April/May 2019, will consider a range of additional steps to better address the challenges of plastics wastes⁴ including proposed amendments to the Convention to better address plastic wastes⁵; a set of further actions and establishing a new Partnership on Plastic Waste designed as an international vehicle for public-private cooperation, sharing of best practices, and technical assistance in the area of at-source measures to minimise and more effectively manage plastic waste, thus helping tackle the global environmental problem of marine plastic litter. More information on minimising plastic waste is available here: https://www.basel.int/?tabid=6068.

NOTES for EDITORS:

The Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, or BRS Secretariat, supports parties implement the three leading multilateral environment agreements governing chemicals and waste, in order to protect human health and the environment. See www.brsmeas.org for more info and follow @brsmeas twitter feed for daily news.

The Barcelona Convention was adopted in 1976 and aims to protect and improve the marine and coastal environment in the Mediterranean, whilst promoting regional and national plans contributing to sustainable development. Today, 21 countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the European Union, are Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention. The UN Environment / Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) is a cooperative effort to support the implementation of the Barcelona Convention. See web.unep.org/unepmap for more info.

Media enquiries, interviews:

Charlie Avis
Public Information Officer
BRS Secretariat
Charles.avis@brsmeas.org
Tel: +41-79-7304495

The BRS Secretariat organised an informal brainstorming session of Stockholm Convention implementing agencies and other partners in Geneva, 17 November 2019, to identify cooperative strategies for maximising impact and boosting implementation.

With a view to enhancing cooperation and boosting implementation of the Convention, and therefore increasing impact on the ground, a large number of implementing agencies and other stakeholders gathered in Geneva to informally plan for the period 2018-2022.

In addition to the BRS Executive Secretary and staff, representatives attended from the Basel Convention Regional Centre for South East Asia (Indonesia); the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO; the Global Environment Facility, Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP); the Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland; the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO); and UN Environment.

Taking a solutions-oriented approach and recognising that business-as-usual is not sufficient to meet current and future challenges, the group sought to identify priority areas and actions in light of reduced funding and ever-expanding scope of activities. Opportunities for raising awareness of the Convention’s many successes were also identified.

The outcomes of the meeting will be shared with Parties in an Information Document, with a next meeting planned to be held during the BRS Triple COPs, 29 April to 10 May 2019, in Geneva, Switzerland.

For more information, please contact BRS Programme Manager Frank Moser on email: frank.moser@brsmeas.org.