Reducing hazardous waste in cooperation with industry

Bern, 09.12.2002 - The Swiss government strongly supports partnerships with industry in order to minimise the amount and movement of hazardous wastes worldwide. That was the message presented by State Secretary Philippe Roch at the opening of the sixth meeting of the Conference of Contracting Parties to the Basel Convention in Geneva. Furthermore, Switzerland is turning its attention to the disposal of hazardous wastes in Africa and to the transfer of know-how, and is also committed to making Geneva an international competence centre for the field of chemicals and waste management.

At the end of his successful three year presidency of the Basel Convention, State Secretary and SAEFL Director Philippe Roch announced a partnership with mobile phone manufacturers which he himself initiated. It is the first concrete co-operation project between an industrial sector and the Basel Convention (pdf, 78kb). The partnership is expected to be signed on 12th December 2002, within the framework of the ministerial part of the sixth Conference of Contracting Parties to the Basel Convention at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Implementation of the strategic plan: Partnership with Industry

Partnerships concluded with leading international companies such as these should enjoy greater support also in the context of implementing the strategic plan. This plan is one of the main topics of the Conference of Contracting Parties in Geneva between 9th and 13th December: It will set out the aims and priorities of the Basel Convention for the next decade. Switzerland will try to ensure that a plan is adopted which is both realistic and implementable. In particular, it should contain strategies for the financing and development of partnerships with business and industry. In addition, Switzerland is to fund a new position at the Secretariat of the Basel Convention with the aim of incorporating industry in the implementation of the Basel Convention to a greater extent.

Focus on Africa

During Philippe Roch’s presidency Switzerland has paid particular attention to the continent of Africa. African states in particular find themselves confronted with high-risk waste because they do not have access to the necessary skilled personnel, legal, technical and financial resources to dispose of such waste in an environmentally sound manner. Therefore, in the framework of the Basel Convention 2001 in Morocco, Switzerland funded an Africa-wide Conference on environmentally sound waste disposal and the avoidance of pesticides and other hazardous waste, which was concluded with a declaration for the environmentally sound disposal of hazardous wastes (Rabat Declaration) endorsed by all of Africa’s environment ministers in July 2002. In order to celebrate the adoption of this declaration the Swiss authorities will meet all African ministers attending the Conference of Contracting Parties in Geneva. Nevertheless, the engagement on behalf of Africa continues: in the framework of the Global Environment Facility, Switzerland is helping to fund the “African Stockpiles Project (pdf, 93kb)“, which aims to dispose of obsolete pesticides in Africa.

Emphasis on chemicals in Geneva

In order to establish a coherent and effective international regime for the disposal of chemicals and waste, Switzerland would like to provide a permanent base (pdf, 92kb) for the Secretariats of the Rotterdam (PIC) and Stockholm Conventions (POPs) currently located in Geneva on an interim basis. The Secretariat of the Basel Convention and UNEP’s Chemicals Branch are already located in the International Environment House in Geneva. Moreover, a settlement of the PIC and POPs Secretariats at the same location corresponds with the demands for closer cooperation between the various environment conventions of the Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GMEF) and of the World Summit in Johannesburg and the creation of a competence centre for Chemicals and Waste Management. Several important UN and other international organisations concerned with chemicals and hazardous wastes are also already located in Geneva (e.g. WHO, WTO, UNITAR, ILO).

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