Sub-regional workshop on reporting obligations under the Basel and Stockholm Conventions

Dakar, Senegal, from 6 to 8 July 2014

Background: Parties to the Basel Convention are required to transmit to the Secretariat, at the end of each calendar year, their respective national reports pursuant to Article 13, paragraph 3. The national report questionnaire contains qualitative and quantitative information. This is a mechanism that allows Parties to share information with each other and it also indicates the level of the implementation of the Basel Convention. The focal points of the Basel Convention, at the national level, are responsible for receiving and submitting information as provided for in Articles 13 and 16.

Parties to the Stockholm Convention are to transmit national reports to the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention every four years. The reports contain qualitative information on the measures taken to implement the Convention and on the effectiveness of such measures. Additionally, Parties are required to report quantitative information which includes statistical data on the production, import and export of the chemicals listed in Annexes A and B, among others.

Based on these obligations, the Secretariat has developed electronic reporting systems, one for each convention, where Parties can report directly online.

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Organized by

The training was organized by the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in cooperation with the Basel and Stockholm Convention Regional Centre in Dakar. The Government of Norway and the European Union kindly provided the funding for the training course.

Working language(s)

French was the working language of the training.

Objectives of the workshop

The objectives of this workshop were

  • Enhancing understanding of the reporting obligations of the Parties to the Basel and Stockholm Conventions
  • Informing participants about the use of the electronic reporting systems of the Basel and of the Stockholm Conventions, including similarities of the two electronic reporting systems, the commonalities and differences in the data collection process for both reporting obligations, and issues common to inventories of chemicals and hazardous wastes; and
  • Providing a platform for exchanging of information and experience sharing among invited Parties.

Target audience

The training session targeted countries that have started the process of reviewing and updating their national implementation plans (NIPs) and brought together national officials from 17 French-speaking African countries including Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Gabonese Republic, Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Principe, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.

Outcome

The sub-regional workshop on reporting obligations under the Basel and Stockholm Conventions was held back-to-back with the first sub-regional workshop on ratification and early implementation of the Minamata Convention. Participants received training which combined presentations, practical exercises and working group discussions on procedural and substantive issues related to the reporting obligations of the Parties to the Basel and Stockholm Conventions and, furthermore, participants were trained in the use of the electronic reporting systems of both conventions, including issues common to inventories of chemicals and hazardous wastes.

Contact information

For questions regarding the training please contact Tatiana Terekhova (Tatiana.Terekhova@brsmeas.org).