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1.Notes the progress made in the implementation of the joint clearing-house mechanism, which should serve as a platform for the exchange and dissemination of information;
2.Takes note of the proposed joint clearing-house mechanism strategy1 and invites parties and others to provide comments on the strategy, in particular its scope, on national and regional priorities and needs in respect of the clearing-house mechanism and on the goals described in section IV of the strategy, to the Secretariat by 31 October 2015;
3.Acknowledges the role that the joint clearing-house mechanism can play in facilitating the exchange of information in relation to the sound management of chemicals and wastes among parties and other stakeholders and in promoting the understanding of scientific, technical and legal aspects of the three conventions;
4.Recognizes the gaps in access to scientific information and knowledge, the inadequate capacity of developing countries to provide scientific inputs for the various processes under the conventions and the need for scientific and technical advice in relation to implementation and notes the role that the clearing-house mechanism strategy could play in addressing those issues;
(a)To provide for the biennium 2016–2017, within available resources, access to thematic information relevant to the conventions through the clearing-house mechanism, including from parties and other stakeholders, on the following priority areas:
(i)National plans and strategies, such as national action plans under the Rotterdam Convention and national implementation plans under the Stockholm Convention;
(iii)Priority waste stream inventories, for wastes such as e-wastes, mercury wastes and persistent organic pollutant wastes, and related technical guidelines;
(v)Persistent organic pollutants listed under the Stockholm Convention, including related information on inventories, exemptions, best available techniques and best environmental practices, risk evaluations and risk profiles;
(vi)Chemicals listed under the Rotterdam Convention, including information contained in decision guidance documents;
(vii)National reporting, the prior informed consent procedure and other notification procedures under the conventions;
(viii)Legal matters, such as final regulatory actions, importing country responses and export notifications under the Rotterdam Convention and national definitions of wastes, national legislation, bilateral and multilateral agreements and import/export restrictions under the Basel Convention;
(b)To prepare, for consideration by the conferences of the parties at their meetings in 2017, a revised joint clearing-house mechanism strategy, taking into account the challenges referred to in paragraph 4 above, including capacity-building to facilitate the use of the joint clearing‑house mechanism, and the comments received from parties and others pursuant to paragraph 2 above and the report of the independent assessor who will carry out the synergies review assessment.