The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal is the most comprehensive global environmental agreement on hazardous and other wastes. It has over 160 Parties and aims to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects resulting from the generation, management, transboundary movements and disposal of hazardous and other wastes.

The Basel Convention regulates the transboundary movements of hazardous and other wastes and obliges its Parties to ensure that such wastes are managed and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. The Convention covers toxic, poisonous, explosive, corrosive, flammable, ecotoxic and infectious wastes. Parties are also expected to minimize the quantities that are transported, to treat and dispose of wastes as close as possible to their place of generation and to prevent or minimize the generation of wastes at source. The Basel Convention came into force in 1992.

The Basel Convention is currently supported by 13 Basel Convention Regional Centers in the following locations: Argentina, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Senegal, Slovak Republic, South Pacific Regional Programme, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. These regional centres deliver training and technology transfer for the implementation of the Convention.

More information on the Basel Convention on : www.basel.int