Activities 2020-2021

The activities undertaken by the Expert Working Group on the review of Annexes during the biennium 2020-2021 are based on mandates set out in decisions BC-14/16 and BC-14/13, paragraph 8.

By its decisions BC-14/16 and BC-14/13, the Conference of the Parties, among other things:

  • Welcomes the work undertaken by the EWG on the review of Annexes I, III and IV and related aspects of Annex IX to the Basel Convention;
  • Takes note of the note by the co-chairs of the EGW on the status of the work and recommendations on the way forward, the information on the work of the group, the recommendations for revisions to Annex IV and Annex IX (B1110) prepared by the EWG and the comments from Parties and others received thereon;
  • Invites Parties and others to submit to the Secretariat by 15 July 2019 further views on the recommendations for revisions to Annex IV prepared by the EWG;
  • Requests the EWG to:
    • report on its findings on the possible consequential implications of the review of Annex IV for other annexes of the Convention and for relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties, inter alia, for the notification and movement documents and the reporting format, following its own consideration of the matter, to the Open-ended Working Group at its twelfth meeting;
    • prepare amendment proposals to Annex IV, entry A1180 in Annex VIII and entry B1110 in Annex IX for the discussion by the Open-ended Working Group at its twelfth meeting, and
    • consider, as part of its mandate, whether any additional constituents or characteristics in relation to plastic waste should be added to annex I or III, respectively, to the Convention.
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Views from Parties and others received by 15 July 2019 on the recommendations for revisions to Annex IV prepared by the EWG (Document UNEP/CHW.14/INF/23)

Document UNEP/CHW.14/INF/23.

For comments on the recommendations submitted by Parties and others by 15 March 2019 and prior to the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, please see the Comments from Parties and observers on the recommendations for revisions to Annex IV and Annex IX (B1110).

Third meeting of the EWG

The EWG held its third meeting in Bratislava on 5-8 November 2019 at what time it, among other things, developed recommendations on the review of Annexes for possible amendment proposals to Annex IV and to entries A1180 and B1110 in Annexes VIII and IX to the Basel Convention, and findings on the consequential implications of the review of Annex IV to the Convention.

The EWG also agreed to invite by 15 April 2020 comments by Parties and observers on its recommendations and findings, and requested the Secretariat to compile them in an information document for OEWG-12.

The recommendations of the EWG were made available in a 15 January 2020 Communication. They will be made available to OEWG-12 in document UNEP/CHW/OEWG.12/INF/25. Comments thereon received are set out in the table below and will be made available to OEWG-12 in document UNEP/CHW/OEWG.12/INF/27.

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Views from Parties and observers received by 15 April 2020 on the EWG recommendations (Document UNEP/CHW/OEWG.12/INF/25)

Twelfth meeting of the Open-ended working Group (online segment)

During its online segment (1-3 September 2020), following its consideration of the item on legal clarity, the OEWG-12 agreed to invite Parties and observers to submit comments on the information set out in the annexes to documents UNEP/CHW/OEWG.12/INF/25, INF/26 and INF/28 to the Secretariat by 15 September 2020, and to invite the expert working group to take the comments received into account in revising those documents for submission to the Conference of the Parties at its fifteenth meeting.

The comments received in writing during the online segment and subsequently to the segment by 15 September 2020 are set out in the table below. For information on the fourth meeting of the EWG please see here.

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Views from Parties and observers received by 15 September 2020 on the EWG recommendations (Document UNEP/CHW/OEWG.12/INF/25), the co-chairs note on conceptual issues (Document UNEP/CHW/OEWG.12/INF/26), and the consequential implications of the review of Annex IV (Document UNEP/CHW/OEWG.12/INF/28)

Fourth meeting of the EWG

The EWG held its fourth meeting in five parts, between October 2020 and January 2022, to continue its work through online means due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Twelfth meeting of the Open-ended working Group (face-to-face segment)

During its face-to-face segment (4 to 6 April, 2022), the OEWG-12 considered the expert working group’s recommendations for possible amendment proposals to Annex IV and to entries A1180 and B1110 in Annexes VIII and IX to the Basel Convention, along with the group’s findings on the consequential implications of the review of Annex IV, as set out in the annex to document UNEP/CHW/OEWG.12/INF/25/Rev.1. Following its consideration of the recommendations by the expert working group regarding possible amendment proposals to entries A1180 and B1110, the OEWG-12 agreed to recommend to the Conference of the Parties at its resumed fifteenth meeting that it consider using as the basis for its work the version of the recommended option for possible amendments to A1180 and B1110 that reflected the outcomes of the current meeting, as set out in document UNEP/CHW/OEWG.12/INF/25/Rev.2.

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UNEP/CHW/RA_EWG.3/8 Report of the third meeting of the Expert Working Group on the review of Annexes