ABOUT
BCRC-SEA’S
An overview of BCRC-SEA’s institutional mandate, legal status, and core functions in supporting environmentally sound management of hazardous waste in Southeast Asia.
LEGAL STATUS
The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal in Article 14 requires the establishment of Regional Centers for Training and Technology Transfer (BCRC). Furthermore, the Decision III/19 at Conference of the Parties (COP) III in 1995 selected Indonesia to host one of BCRCs. The Government of the Republic of Indonesia then signed the Framework Agreement on BCRC for Southeast Asia (BCRC-SEA) with the Secretariat of the Basel Convention (SBC) on 29 October 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Framework Agreement was later endorsed by Presidential Regulation No. 60/2005 on 12 October 2005 and it has since been amended twice for extension until 2029.
At the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention (COP-6) in 2013, BCRC-SEA was endorsed as one of the Stockholm Convention Regional Centre (SCRC) and the mandate has been extended until 2023 by decision of COP-9 of the Stockholm Convention in 2019.
BCRC-SEA & SCRC Indonesia is supported by 10 countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Framework Agreement between the Government of Indonesia and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention was extended until 2029.
About Host Country – Indonesia
Indonesia is selected to host one of BCRCs according to the the Decision III/19 at Conference of the Parties (COP) III in 1995. The Government of the Republic of Indonesia then signed the Framework Agreement on BCRC for Southeast Asia (BCRC-SEA) with the Secretariat of the Basel Convention (SBC) on 29 October 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Framework Agreement was later endorsed by Presidential Regulation No. 60/2005 on 12 October 2005 and it has since been amended twice for extension until 2029.
Besides as a host for the BCRC-SEA & SCRC Indonesia, Indonesia has also been host for meetings, workshops and projects organized by BCRC-SEA & SCRC Indonesia under the Basel, Stockholm, and Rotterdam Convention, as well as hosting regional workshops under Minamata Convention since 2015. Currently, the National Focal Point for Basel and Stockholm Convention in Indonesia is the Director General, Directorate General of Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Substances Management, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Republic of Indonesia.
About the Basel Convention
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
About the Stockholm Convention
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from highly dangerous, long-lasting chemicals by restricting and ultimately eliminating their production, use, trade, release and storage.
POPs can be found in pesticides, paint additives, heat exchange fluids, transformers, sealants and plastics. They are in the waste of industries and hospitals. Some are also released as unintended by-products of combustion and industrial processes. POPs remain intact in the environment for long periods. They gradually accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms, and can cause cancer and birth defects. POPs may also disrupt immune and reproductive systems and even diminish intelligence.
The Stockholm Convention leads the way towards a POPs-free future. The Stockholm Convention protects people and the environment from POPs by:
1. Eliminating production and use. Most of the intentionally produced POPs are targeted for immediate elimination with very few exceptions. PCBs are the most notable exception. Production has been stopped but their use in existing equipment is allowed until 2025 to ensure that PCBs are disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.
2. Restricting production and use. The Convention allows very limited and carefully controlled use of certain POPs while also seeking alternatives. For example, DDT is only allowed to be used to control disease vectors like the mosquitoes that carry malaria.
3. Reducing unintentional production with the aim of elimination. The Convention promotes the use of the best available means of preventing the release of dioxins and furans from major sources into the environment.
4. Ensuring wastes containing POPs are managed safely and in an environmentally sound manner. The Convention requires that such wastes be identified and managed to reduce or eliminate POPs releases from these sources.
5. Targeting additional POPs. The Convention is charged with identifying other POPs chemicals that require action. This is achieved through a scientifically rigorous process and ensures that those chemicals are considered even if there is a lack of scientific certainty about the harm they cause.
The Stockholm Convention is currently supported by 16 Stockholm Convention Regional Centres in the following locations : Algeria, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Czech Republic, Russian Federation, Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay and Spain
These regional centres were established by the Stockholm Convention and operate under the authority of the Conference of the Parties, the decision-making organ of the Convention composed of all the countries party to the Convention. Their core functions are to provide technical assistance and to promote the transfer of technology to developing country parties and parties with economies in transition relating to the implementation of their obligations under the Convention.
More information on the Stockholm Convention on : www.pops.int