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Recalling its decision BC-10/3 on the Indonesian-Swiss country-led initiative to improve the effectiveness of the Basel Convention,
Expressing its appreciation for the steps taken by parties and others to further the objectives of decision BC-10/3,
Noting that the meeting adopted separate decisions pertaining to matters set out in sections D, E, F and G of decision BC-10/31 and that, as a consequence, the present decision pertains only to matters set out in sections A, B and C of decision BC-10/3,
1.Takes note of the communication from the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs on the number of parties to the Basel Convention at the time of adoption of the Ban Amendment;
2.Acknowledges the ratification or acceptance by further parties of the amendment contained in decision III/1;
3.Invites parties to continue to take actions towards encouraging and assisting parties to ratify the Amendment;
4.Requests the Secretariat, within available resources, to continue to assist parties, upon request, which are having difficulties in ratifying the Ban Amendment;
5. Adopts the framework for the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes and other wastes;2
6.Recommends the list of actions for parties, regional centres and other stakeholders set out in annex I to the present decision;
7.Decides to mandate an expert working group to further elaborate and implement actions on initial short-term work items as listed in annex II to the present decision, within available resources, and to develop a work programme for additional priorities and key work items and actions for the implementation of environmentally sound management;
8.Also decides that the above‑mentioned expert working group shall operate by electronic means and shall hold physical meetings, subject to available funding;
9.Further decides that the above‑mentioned expert working group shall consist of members nominated by parties based on equitable geographical representation of the five regional groups of the United Nations, and will be open to observers;
10.Requests each regional group to nominate through its Bureau representative, by 30 June 2013, five members with specific knowledge and expertise in the field. The expert working group shall call upon additional experts as needed;
11.Requests the expert working group to elect its own co-chairs and organize its working modalities according to the rules of procedure of the Basel Convention;
12.Also requests the expert working group to report on its activities and to submit its work programme to the Open-ended Working Group for consideration at its ninth meeting and subsequently to the Conference of the Parties for consideration and possible adoption at its twelfth meeting;
13.Invites parties and other stakeholders to provide to the Secretariat information on activities undertaken to implement the framework for the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes and other wastes, including any examples of national waste prevention programmes;
14.Requests the Secretariat to make the information referred to in paragraph 13 above available on the Basel Convention website;
(a)To complete the glossary of terms, taking into account comments received from parties to date, by:
(i)Considering whether all of the terms in the draft glossary of certain terms set out in the note by the Secretariat5 are useful for the interpretation of the Convention and whether any other useful terms can be included;
(ii)Examining the glossaries and/or definitions in the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment guidance document on the environmentally sound management of used and end-of-life computing equipment, the draft technical guidelines on transboundary movements of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste), in particular regarding the distinction between waste and non-waste, and the framework for the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes and other wastes, along with previously adopted technical guidelines, to consider whether any other terms could be usefully included in the glossary;
(v)Recommending to the Open-ended Working Group at its ninth meeting whether any terms defined in previously adopted technical guidelines and guidance documents as well as the framework for the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes and other wastes need to be updated as a result;
(b)To identify terms for which it would be useful to have further explanations and to provide such explanations in the glossary;
(c)To recommend to the Open-ended Working Group at its ninth meeting where further guidance would be useful;
17.Also decides to mandate the small intersessional working group to consider options for further steps towards the consistent interpretation of terminology, including possible voluntary and legally binding options, and to report thereon to the Open-ended Working Group at its ninth meeting;
18.Requests the Secretariat, within available resources, to support the work of the small intersessional working group;
19.Invites parties to nominate experts to participate in the small intersessional working group and inform the Secretariat of their nominations by 30 June 2013;
20.Also invites parties to consider serving as lead country for the small intersessional working group and to inform the Secretariat accordingly by 30 June 2013;
21.Requests the small intersessional working group to prepare a first draft of the revised glossary and related explanations to be made available on the Basel Convention website by 15 February 2014 with an invitation for parties and others to comment thereon by 15 April 2014, for the consideration of the small intersessional working group;
22.Also requests the small intersessional working group to prepare a revised draft of the revised glossary and related explanations, taking into account comments received by Parties and others, to be made available on the Basel Convention website by 15 June 2014;
23.Decides that the small intersessional working group will submit, for the consideration of the Open-ended Working Group at its ninth meeting, the revised glossary and related explanations;
24.Invites the Open-ended Working Group at its ninth meeting to finalize the glossary and related explanations and to prepare a draft decision, including on paragraph 16 (c) and 17 above, for consideration and possible adoption by the Conference of the Parties at its twelfth meeting.