Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
The Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS Secretariat) brings together the three leading multilateral environmental agreements that share the common objective of protecting human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals and wastes:[1]
- The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, which aims to protect people and the environment from the negative effects of the inappropriate management of hazardous wastes worldwide.
- The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, which provides countries with a first line of defence against hazardous chemicals by facilitating information exchange about their characteristics.
- The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which looks to protect human health and the environment from highly dangerous, long-lasting chemicals by restricting and ultimately eliminating their production, use, trade, release and storage.[2]
Mission statement and principal functions[edit]
Through a synergies process, the BRS Secretariat aims to enhance international environmental governance towards the sound management of chemicals and waste, through coordination and cooperation.
Specifically, the mission statement of the BRS Secretariat is to:
- Enhance work among Parties to bring about implementation of the Conventions and their synergies at global, regional and national levels.
- Deliver cost-effective and synergistic services to Parties, including technical assistance, scientific support, legal, administrative and financial resources oversight services, governance activities, conference and information services.
- Develop and implement a resource mobilization strategy to facilitate national implementation of the Conventions, in particular by country-Parties, Parties that are countries with economies in transition, and Small Island Developing States.
- Enlarge and strengthen cooperation with all relevant stakeholders through partnerships and an effective network of regional centres.
- Create further awareness to place the sound management of chemicals and waste at the heart of the global development and environment agenda, notably to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals through a pollution-free planet.[3]
The principal functions of the BRS Secretariat are to (i) prepare for and service meetings of the Conferences of the Parties and subsidiary bodies; (ii) receive and convey information; (iii) assist or facilitate assistance to Parties upon request; and (iv) coordinate accordingly with other international bodies.[4].
All of these functions are carried out while maintaining the legal autonomy of the three multilateral environmental agreements.
Benefits of this integrated approach towards chemicals and waste management include an improvement in the availability in resources; a better coordinated provision of assistance to countries through cost-effective implementation methods; and an increased awareness of the growing chemicals and waste issue that threatens humans and the environment globally.
The mandates of the Secretariats are laid out in Article 16 of the Basel Convention, Article 20 of the Rotterdam Convention and Article 19 of the Stockholm Convention[4].
Joint clearing-house mechanism[edit]
The joint clearing-house mechanism is a multi-stakeholder global system that facilitates the exchange of information and expertise relevant for the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. In view of these objectives, the BRS Secretariat has developed and is continuously enhancing a global knowledge base of information and tools, fed and used by all members of the clearing-house community. This knowledge base provides Parties with access to up-to-date, quality information related to the work of the Conventions, in a transparent and user-friendly manner, with strong emphasis on regional delivery[5]
Plastic Waste Partnership[edit]
In 2019, the BRS Secretariat launched the Plastic Waste Partnership improve and promote the environmentally sound management of plastic waste, as well as to prevent and minimize plastic waste generation at the global, regional and national levels[6].
Programme of work and financing[edit]
The budget of the Secretariats and their staffing are determined by the Conferences of the Parties and are funded by contributions from the Parties, based on the United Nations scale of assessment.[7].
At each of their meetings, the Conferences of the Parties (COPs) adopt the programme of work and budget of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions for the following biennium. The budget is presented in programmatic formats harmonized for the three Conventions.
The BRS Secretariat prepares budget fact sheets for planned activities, which provide additional information on mandates, rationales, outcomes with cost estimates, indicators of achievement, partners, socioeconomic aspects, and resources approved for the current and previous bienniums. After the completion of a biennium, the Secretariat also prepares reports on the implementation of activities and their evaluation.
All documents pertaining to ordinary and simultaneous extraordinary COP meetings are available online.
In 2021, due to measures taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, COPs are being held online from 26 to 30 July[8].
History[edit]
The BRS Secretariat has its origins from the omnibus decision taken in 2013 (BC.Ex-2/1, RC.Ex-2/1 and SC.Ex-2/1), when the Conferences of the Parties to the three legally autonomous Conventions (Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm) agreed to a matrix-based management approach and organisation for all[9]
The BRS Secretariats of the Basel and Stockholm conventions are administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and are located in Geneva. The Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention is jointly administered by UNEP and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It is based in Geneva and in Rome.
The Bureaux of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions regularly hold meetings to provide guidance to the Secretariat.[10].
Branches[edit]
The BRS Secretariat is structured based on a series of branches.
The Executive Office manages the overall functioning of the Secretariat and oversees the delivery of services to the Parties of the three Conventions. The BRS Executive Office is also responsible for the Policy and Strategy Unit and the Resources and Programme Oversight Unit[11].
The Funds Management, Administration and Human Resources Branch manages the administrative, financial, corporate and institutional legal services to the Parties[12].
The Conference and Information Services Branch is responsible for the provision of conference services, information technology, knowledge management, public awareness, outreach and media relations[13].
The Governance Branch deals with legal issues, compliance, international cooperation, partnerships, synergies, gender, and institutional aspects of the Basel and Stockholm regional centres.[14]
The Science and Technical Assistance Branch manages scientific and technical inputs for the implementation of the three Conventions and is responsible for the overall coordination and delivery of the technical assistance programme.[15]
The Rotterdam Secretariat FAO Rome Office takes the lead on all technical matters related to pesticides and severely hazardous pesticide formulations.[16]
Mr. Rolph Payet has been as the Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions since 2014[17]. The FAO part of the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat is currently headed by the Executive Secretary, Mr. Remi Nomdim[18].
Public awareness and outreach[edit]
The BRS Secretariat is represented online with four websites: for the Basel Convention, the Rotterdam Convention, the Stockholm Convention, and one for the synergies amongst them. The Secretariat is also active on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr).
In addition, each convention is producing legal and technical publications to further disseminate information.
In 2020, the Plastic Waste Partnership launched a photography contest to raise awareness of the challenges presented by plastic waste pollution. Selected finalists were shown in a photo exhibition held virtually on the UN Exhibits website, and physically in Geneva, Switzerland from 5 to 29 July 2021[19]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Secretariats of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS Conventions)", International Regulatory Co-operation, OECD, pp. 112–113, 2016-11-02, doi:10.1787/9789264244047-16-en, ISBN 9789264266254, retrieved 2021-09-08
- ↑ "Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm Conventions". UNITAR. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "Vision 2018-19". www.brsmeas.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "BRS Conventions > Secretariat > Overview". www.brsmeas.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "Joint clearing-house mechanism". BRSMeas. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "Launch of the Plastic Waste Partnership under the Basel Convention". www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "BRS Conventions > Secretariat > Overview". www.brsmeas.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "2021 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs)". IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "Malaysia: vision 2020". dx.doi.org. 2001-01-01. doi:10.14217/9781848597365-6-en. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "BRS Conventions > Decision-making > Joint Bureaux > Overview". www.brsmeas.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "Executive Office fact sheet". www.brsmeas.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "Funds Management, Administration and Human Resources Branch". www.brsmeas.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "Conference and Information Services Branch". www.brsmeas.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "Governance Branch". www.brsmeas.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "Science and Technical Assistance Branch". www.brsmeas.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "FAO Rome Office". www.brsmeas.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "Rolph Payet". www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "The Rotterdam Convention", Chemicals, Environment, Health, CRC Press, pp. 237–252, 2011-08-09, doi:10.1201/b11064-19, ISBN 9780429139789, retrieved 2021-09-08
- ↑ "Plastic Waste Partnership Photography Exhibit | Plastic is Forever". www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
External links[edit]
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