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Recalling its decisions VI/32 on partnership with environmental non-governmental organizations and with the industry and business sectors, VII/3 on the Basel Convention Partnership Programme, VIII/2 on creating innovative solutions through the Basel Convention for the environmentally sound management of electrical and electronic wastes, VIII/5 on the Basel Convention Partnership Programme and 13/12 on the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment,
Noting the rapid increase in the amount of electrical and electronic equipment used and purchased globally, which has led to an increasing volume of used and end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment, including computing equipment, which in many instances is not being managed in an environmentally sound manner,
Noting also the potential life-cycle benefits of reusing and recycling used and end-of-life electrical equipment and electronics in an environmentally sound manner, such as reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, conserving natural resources, and providing sustainable economic and social development opportunities in developing countries and countries with economies in transition,
Noting further the importance of the transboundary movement controls under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal to the achievement of environmental protection,
Acknowledging that dissemination of the guidance developed by the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment and the Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative and other relevant technical guidelines and guidance can contribute to improved implementation of environmentally sound management of end-of-life computing equipment and possibly of other end-of life electrical and electronic equipment, in particular in developing countries and countries with economies in transition,
Welcoming the proposal of the interim group on a follow-up partnership to the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (hereinafter “the Partnership”),
1.Takes note of the concept note developed by the interim group as set out in annex I of document UNEP/CHW.14/INF/30, and agrees, in principle, with the terms of reference and the programme of work of the Partnership, as developed by the interim group and set out in annexes II and III of that document;
2.Emphasizes that the Partnership does not have the authority to create additional rights or responsibilities for, or abrogate existing rights or responsibilities of, Parties to the Basel Convention;
3.Takes note of the funding proposals for the Partnership set out in annex II of document UNEP/CHW.14/INF/30;
4.Decides to establish a working group of the Partnership that will operate under the guidance of the Open‑ended Working Group;
5.Invites Parties, signatories and all other stakeholders, including manufacturers, recyclers, refurbishers, academia, relevant e-waste platforms, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations and former partners of the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment to indicate their interest in participating in the working group of the Partnership to the Secretariat no later than 30 September 2019, having regard to the specific expertise and experience required to participate in the activities of the working group;
6.Invites Parties and others to submit comments on the terms of reference and the programme of work referred to in paragraph 1 of the present decision to the working group of the Partnership, through the Secretariat, by 30 September 2019;
7.Requests the working group of the Partnership to prepare a revised version of both the terms of reference and the programme of work, including to prioritize tasks in the programme of work and outline the structure of the leadership of the Partnership, and taking into account comments from Parties and others, and to submit them for consideration by the Open‑ended Working Group at its twelfth meeting;
8.Mandates the Open‑ended Working Group to adopt, at its twelfth meeting, the terms of reference and the programme of work on behalf of the Conference of the Parties;
9.Requests the working group of the Partnership to undertake the activities in the programme of work, starting with the following priority activities as set out in Annex III to document UNEP/CHW.14/INF/30:
10.Also requests the working group of the Partnership to coordinate and collaborate, as appropriate, on activities with other organizations and initiatives to establish synergies and prevent duplication of work;
11.Requests the Secretariat, subject to the availability of resources, to facilitate the work of and provide expertise to the Partnership, including to collect and disseminate information on the steps taken by Parties to enhance the environmentally sound management of electronic and electrical waste at the national level;
12.Encourages Parties and signatories to the Convention and members of industry and international governmental and non‑governmental organizations to participate actively in the Partnership and to make financial or in-kind contributions, or both, also taking into account the financial arrangements in the terms of reference, in order:
(a)To facilitate the participation of developing countries and countries with economies in transition as well as the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres and the Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres in the Partnership;
13.Requests the Open‑ended Working Group to report to the Conference of the Parties at its fifteenth meeting on its implementation of paragraph 8 of the present decision;
14.Takes note of the progress report of the Environmental Network for Optimizing Regulatory Compliance on Illegal Traffic,3 and acknowledges the progress made by the Network since the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
15.Encourages members of the Network to continue to collaborate by exchanging experiences, providing relevant information and undertaking capacity-building activities to prevent and combat illegal traffic;
16.Invites the International Criminal Police Organization, the World Customs Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to consider joining the Network as members, and invites other entities with a specific mandate to deliver implementation and enforcement capacity-building activities that could assist Parties to the Basel Convention in preventing and combating illegal traffic of hazardous wastes and other wastes, to consider sending a duly motivated request to the Chair of the Network regarding admission as members of the Network;
17.Elects the following representatives of five Parties to the Basel Convention to serve as members of the Network until the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties:
Western European and other States:Ms. Katie Olley (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
18.Designates the following four representatives of the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres to serve as members of the Network until the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties:
African region:Basel Convention Regional Centre for the English-speaking African Countries, in South Africa
Central and Eastern European region:Basel Convention Regional Centre for Central Europe, in Slovakia
Latin American and Caribbean region:Basel Convention Regional Centre for the Caribbean Region, in Trinidad and Tobago
19.Requests the Secretariat, subject to the availability of resources, to continue to facilitate and provide expertise to the Network and to organize annual meetings of the Network, and to report to the Conference of the Parties at its fifteenth meeting on the Network’s activities;
20.Takes note of the draft overall guidance document on the environmentally sound management of household waste developed by the working group of the Household Waste Partnership;4
21.Requests the working group to prepare a complete draft of the overall guidance document, taking into account the discussions at the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties and the comments received thus far, and taking into careful consideration the existing guidance under the Basel Convention, in particular on environmentally sound management, by 31 October 2019;
23.Requests the working group to prepare a revised draft of the overall guidance document, taking into account the comments received in accordance with paragraph 22 of the present decision, for consideration by the twelfth meeting of the Open‑ended Working Group as an information document;
(b)To coordinate closely with the new Partnership on Plastic Waste established by decision BC-14/13 to prevent overlap in their respective work programmes and to share lessons learned;
25.Decides that the Household Waste Partnership shall operate by electronic means and shall hold physical meetings, subject to the availability of resources;
(a)To make the comments received pursuant to paragraph 22 of the present decision available on the website of the Convention and to the working group;
(b)To continue to facilitate and provide expertise to the working group and organize meetings of the working group, subject to the availability of resources;
(c)To report on progress in the implementation of the present decision to the Open‑ended Working Group at its twelfth meeting and to the Conference of the Parties at its fifteenth meeting.