The management and use of chemicals, as well as the movement of waste are among the topics to be fleshed out ahead of the 2025 Conference of the Parties (COPs) for the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions.
Thirty-one participants from Latin American and Caribbean countries gathered at the Hilton Trinidad on Tuesday to commence discussions. This, in preparation for the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (BC COP-17), the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention (RC COP-12), and the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention (SC COP-12), which will be held back-to-back in Geneva, Switzerland, from April 28th to May 9th.
Citing Theme 5 of the National Development Strategy “Placing the Environment at the Centre of Social and Economic Development,” Minister of Planning and Development Pennelope Beckles-Robinson recommitted to finding solutions for such issues.
“Effective environmental management requires a comprehensive and well-coordinated system to address interconnected environmental issues, including natural resource management, waste management, pollution and chemicals management, management of the built environment, and, of course, climate change.”
Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions Secretariat, Dr. Rolph Payet, said meetings such as these are important in identifying the needs of each country. As the host of this meeting, he highlighted some of the projected outcomes.
“We will be listing a number of important chemicals for either control or phase out. These chemicals are found in our everyday lives, but we’ve been working with industries, we’ve been working with the civil society to ensure that those chemicals that have been identified to have persistent organic pollutants are removed from the environment. And of course, at the end of the day, the goal of this Convention is to improve health, the quality of health, not only of humans but also of the planet.”
Director of BCRC Caribbean, Jewel Batchasingh, hopes this Convention and the representation of the issues will champion action towards better chemicals use and disposal.
“Really trying to raise the awareness of waste and chemicals management. We are often sidelined because of the other conventions, such as climate change, as it appears to be more topical. But this really hits hard and hits home with the fact that it affects your human health and personal well-being.”
The outcomes of the preparatory meeting will be presented at the 2025 Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions in Switzerland.
The theme of the meetings will be ‘Make Visible The Invisible: Sound Management Of Chemicals And Wastes.’