Overview and Mandate

Procedures on compliance fall within the mandate of the Stockholm Convention Compliance Committee.

Information about this subsidiary body (mandate, membership, meetings and reports) is available in the Convention section of the website. This section of the website provides information on the implementation of the Committee’s work programme.

The Committee’s work programmes adopted by the Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention pertain to both mandates of the Committee : its specific submissions mandate, and its mandate to examine systemic issues of general compliance and implementation of interest to all Parties.

Systemic Issues of General Compliance and Implementation Mandate

In accordance with paragraph 30 of the compliance procedures, the Committee may examine systemic issues of general compliance and implementation of interest to all Parties when:

  1. The Conference of the Parties so requests;
  2. The Committee, on the basis of information obtained from Parties by the Secretariat, while acting pursuant to its functions under the Convention, and transmitted to the Committee through the Secretariat, decides that there is a need for an issue of general compliance to be examined and for a report on it to be made to the Conference of the Parties;
  3. The Committee identifies such issues further to its consideration of written submissions from parties with respect to their own compliance or of national reports pursuant to article 15.

In accordance with paragraph 32 of the compliance procedures, the Committee shall submit a report to each ordinary meeting of the Conference of the Parties reflecting:

  1. The work that the Committee has undertaken;
  2. The conclusions and recommendations of the Committee;
  3. The future programme of work of the Committee, including the schedule of expected meetings which it considers necessary for the fulfilment of its programme of work, for the consideration and approval of the Conference of the Parties.

Specific Submissions Mandate

In accordance with paragraph 16 of the compliance procedures, submissions to the Committee may be made by:

  1. A Party which decides that, despite its best endeavours, it is, or will be, unable to comply with its obligations under the Convention (self-trigger);
  2. A Party that is affected or may be affected by another Party’s difficulties in complying with the Convention’s obligations (Party-to-Party trigger).

In addition, pursuant to paragraph 17 of the compliance procedures, the Committee shall examine Parties’ national implementation plans pursuant to Article 7 and the national reports pursuant to Article 15, considering all their obligations, including Articles 12 and 13, under the Convention, and identify questions relating to Parties’ compliance. The Committee shall consider such questions in accordance with paragraphs 20–22 of the compliance procedures.