The Conference of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from June 6 to 17.
The motto of the forum is "Global Agreements - Coordinated management of chemicals and waste for a healthy planet".
The forum was attended by about 1,500 representatives from all over the world.
The Republic of Armenia was represented at the conference by Artak Khachatryan, Head of the Waste and Chemicals Research Service of the “Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center” SNCO, National Coordinator of the Basel Convention. The latter was nominated by the countries of Central and Eastern Europe of the European region and elected by this conference as co-chair of the Bureau of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, as well as a member of the Committee on the Revision of Persistent Organic Pollutants of the Stockholm Convention.
During the meeting, A. Khachatryan was appointed co-chairman of the contact group on joint issues. The Group developed and submitted to the parties for approval two draft decisions: "international cooperation and coordination with other organizations" and "synergy in preventing and combating illicit trafficking in hazardous chemicals and wastes", which were adopted by the conferences of these parties.
The 15th Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention faced an extensive agenda, including significant technical and legal work related to the revision of the Convention's annexes. Of the 22 decisions taken, the most significant result was the agreement on the revision of the Convention, according to which all electronic and electrical waste will be subjected to a preliminary informed procedure. Electronic waste is now included in Annex II of the Convention (categories of waste requiring special study).
Annex VIII of the Convention has also been revised.