Geneva, Switzerland from 18 to 20 November 2025
Venue: International Environment House 2 (IEH-2), Châtelaine, Switzerland
Overview: The expert meeting on Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) under the Stockholm Convention was held from 18 to 20 November 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The aim of the meeting was to consider the developments related to the outcome of twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-12), to discuss the intersessional processes in accordance with the workplan for review and update of the guidelines and guidance on BAT and BEP agreed to at COP-12 (decision SC-12/5 and document UNEP/POPS/COP.12/8/Rev.1, annex II), and to agree on further steps for finalizing the guidance to be submitted to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
The experts agreed to update the existing BAT/BEP guidance on SCCPs to include MCCPs; to update the existing BAT/BEP guidance relevant to PFOS, PFOA and related substances, and to include LC-PFCAs, their salts and related compounds; and to update the BAT/BEP guidance on UV-328, taking into account the amendments to the specific exemptions adopted at COP-12. They further agreed to consider, at an online meeting to be held in June 2026, whether to develop BAT/BEP guidance relevant to chlorpyrifos, taking into account information to be collected by the Secretariat from Parties, observers and other experts, and confirmed the scope of the needed revisions to those guidance, including the outlines and required information sources. The experts also agreed on a detailed workplan and on the composition of the Task Teams to advance work during the 2025–2026 intersessional period.
Organizers: Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
Working language: English
Meeting objectives:
- To consider the developments related to the outcome of twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-12);
- To discuss the intersessional processes in accordance with the workplan for review and update of the guidelines and guidance on BAT and BEP agreed to at COP-12 (decision SC-12/5 and document UNEP/POPS/COP.12/8/Rev.1, annex II);
- To agree on further steps for finalizing the guidelines/guidance to be submitted to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
Target audience: Experts nominated by Parties and observers to be consulted in the process of review and update of the guidelines and guidance on best available techniques and best environmental practices.