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Noting the recommendations contained in the report on the overall review of the synergies arrangements,1
1.Requests the Secretariat to continue to collect, through the database established for that purpose, information on the technical assistance and capacity-building needs of developing-country Parties and Parties with economies in transition;
2.Welcomes the technical assistance plan for the implementation of the Basel Convention, the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants for the period 2018–20212 and requests the Secretariat, subject to the availability of resources, to implement it in cooperation with relevant actors striving to attract the programming capacity and financial resources of relevant international organizations;
(a)To make financial or in-kind contributions to facilitate the availability of capacity-development materials and activities in appropriate official regional languages;
4.Requests the Secretariat in collaboration with other international organizations to explore additional ways of facilitating North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation in its technical assistance plan referred to in paragraph 2 above;
5.Emphasizes the role of the regional centres, as set out in the provisions of the Basel Convention and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, as well as the regional, subregional and country offices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Programme and other participating organizations of the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals, in delivering, upon request, technical assistance at the regional level for the implementation of the Basel Convention, the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade and the Stockholm Convention and in facilitating technology transfer to eligible Parties;
6.Welcomes the United Nations Environment Assembly resolution highlighting the role of the regional centres of the Basel and Stockholm conventions in assisting the regions in the implementation of the two conventions and in other relevant work relating to the multilateral environmental agreements in the chemicals and waste cluster in the countries they serve;3
7.Requests the Secretariat to prepare a report on the implementation of the technical assistance plan for the period 2018–2021, including, as appropriate, adjustments to the plan, for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its fourteenth meeting;
(b)The report on the activities of the regional and coordinating centres;6
(c)The report on the activities of the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres and the Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres in joint documents UNEP/CHW.13/INF/29/Rev.1 and UNEP/POPS/COP.8/INF/26/Rev.1;
9.Requests the Secretariat to take the steps necessary to effect the signing, pursuant to decision VI/3, of a framework agreement with the Government of Slovakia in order to formalize the establishment of the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Central and Eastern European Countries in Slovakia;
10.Takes note of the end of the activities of the existing Basel Convention regional centre in the Russian Federation and of the request of the Russian Federation to establish a new Basel Convention regional centre in that country and authorizes the Secretariat to take the steps necessary to effect the signing, pursuant to decision VI/3 and in accordance with the criteria adopted in decision II/19, of a framework agreement for the possible establishment of a new Basel Convention regional centre in the Russian Federation;
11.Takes note of the requests of Brazil and of Panama to establish a new Basel Convention regional centre to serve the Central America and Mexico subregion, authorizes the Secretariat to initiate a process aimed at the signing, pursuant to decision VI/3 and in accordance with the criteria adopted in decision II/19, of a framework agreement for the possible establishment of a new Basel Convention regional centre to serve the Central America and Mexico subregion, taking into account the views of the Parties in the region on the matter as expressed at the latest at the next meeting of the Open‑ended Working Group;
12.Requests the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres to submit to the Secretariat for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its fourteenth meeting:
(a)Their business plans for the period from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 by 30 September 2019;
(b)Their activity reports for the period from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2018 by 31 December 2018;
13.Requests the Secretariat to prepare a report on the activities of the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres, including on technology transfer, for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its fourteenth meeting;
14.Encourages regional and coordinating centres interested to work, under the Convention, on the impact of plastic waste, marine plastic litter, microplastics and measures for prevention and environmentally sound management, which should be reflected in the report requested in paragraph 13 above and as appropriate in other relevant reporting;
15.Takes note of the notification by the Government of El Salvador of the termination of the framework agreement on the hosting of the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Central American subregion, including Mexico, which will become effective on 4 May 2017;9
16.Invites Parties, observers and other financial institutions in a position to do so to provide financial support to enable Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres to implement their business plans with the aim of supporting Parties in their efforts to meet their obligations under the Convention;
17.Encourages Parties, observers and other financial institutions to enhance communication with the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres.
III - Implementation of decision V/32 on the enlargement of the scope of the Trust Fund to assist developing and other countries in need of technical assistance in the implementation of the Basel Convention
18.Takes note of the information on activities carried out by the Secretariat pursuant to decision BC-12/11;10
19.Welcomes the active engagement of the Joint United Nations Environment Programme/Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Environment Unit with regard to emergency situations and encourages its continued cooperation with the Secretariat;
20.Requests the Secretariat, subject to the availability of resources, and invites the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres to continue to carry out capacity‑building activities with relevant partners, such as the Joint United Nations Environment Programme/Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Environment Unit, relevant to the prevention of incidents and enhancing the preparedness of countries to deal with emergencies caused by transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and other wastes and their disposal, in line with part 3 of the interim guidelines for the implementation of decision V/32 on enlargement of the scope of the Technical Cooperation Trust Fund and in line with decisions BC-IX/10, RC-4/11 and SC-4/34;
21.Also requests the Secretariat to continue its cooperation and collaboration with the Joint United Nations Environment Programme/Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Environment Unit;