Basel Convention
Mr. Geri-Geronimo Sañez of the DENR (second from right) is among those recognized by the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions for their use of the skills and knowledge acquired from technical assistance activities provided by the Conventions. Other winners were from Nigeria, Jamaica, Kenya and Cote d’Ivoire.(Photo Source : http://www.emb.gov.ph/portal/haz/Home.aspx)
The Basel Convention is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries (LDCs). The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste was adopted on 22 March 1989 by the Conference of Plenipontentiaries in Basel, Switzerland, in response to a public outcry following the discovery of deposits of toxic wastes imported to Africa and other parts of the developing world.
The convention aims to minimize generation of toxic waste, and ensure the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of hazardous materials. Under the convention, parties may enter into agreements with other parties (bilateral or multilateral), authorizing transboundary movement of hazardous wastes into their respective jurisdiction with the condition that agreements or arrangements do not violate the ESM of hazardous wastes under the Convention.
Under the Convention, there is a protocol on liability and compensation for damage resulting from transboundary movements and disposal of hazardous wastes. Further details on the protocol may be found here.
The convention aims to minimize generation of toxic waste, and ensure the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of hazardous materials. Under the convention, parties may enter into agreements with other parties (bilateral or multilateral), authorizing transboundary movement of hazardous wastes into their respective jurisdiction with the condition that agreements or arrangements do not violate the ESM of hazardous wastes under the Convention.
Under the Convention, there is a protocol on liability and compensation for damage resulting from transboundary movements and disposal of hazardous wastes. Further details on the protocol may be found here.
- Focal Office:
- Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)
- Date Ratified:
- January 19, 1994
- Focal Persons:
- Competent Authority and Focal Point
ATTY. JUAN MIGUEL T. CUNA
Assistant Secretary and Concurrent Director
DENR - Environmental Management Bureau
Tel. Nos. - (632) 928 3725 / 927 1517
Technical Expert
MR. GERI-GERONIMO R. SAÑEZ
Chief, Hazardous Waste Management Section
DENR - Environmental Management Bureau
Tel. Nos. - (632) 928 1212 - Commitments:
- Under Article 15, parties are required to submit a report on the previous calendar year which includes information on transboundary movement of hazardous wastes in their area, measures adopted by parties in the implementation of the convention, activities related to bilateral/multilateral agreements and arrangements and other pertinent information.
The Philippines is currently engaged in a Bilateral agreement with the United States of America regarding the transboundary movements of hazardous wastes from the Philippines to the United States. - Status / Updates:
- 1. The National Report for 2014 was submitted to the convention as of December 2015. It contains pertinent National Strategies/Policies, Legislations, Regulations and Guidelines issued to realize the reduction/elimination of the generation of hazardous waste and other wastes and the reduction of the amount of hazardous wastes and other wastes subject to transboundary movement.
National Strategies/Policies for the reduction and/or elimination of the amount of hazardous wastes and other wastes generated
a. Implementation of programs/projects assisting industrial facilities in the environmental sound management of their wastes;
b. Promotion of Environmental Management Systems and Cleaner Production or Cleaner Technologies using waste minimization concepts;
c. Promotion of the Philippine Environmental Partnership program (PEPP); and
d. Implementation of projects/programs on industrial waste management
Legislation, Regulations and Guidelines for the reduction and/or elimination of the amount of hazardous wastes and other wastes generated
a. Presidential Decree 984: Pollution Control law of 1976;
b. Presidential Decree 1586: Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System;
c. Republic Act 6969;Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990;
d. Republic Act 8749: Clean Air Act of 1999;
e. Republic Act 9003: Solid Waste Management Act of 2000; and
f. Republic Act 9275: Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.
National Strategies/Policies for the reduction of the amount of hazardous wastes and other wastes subject to transboundary movement
a. Public awareness through the involvement of non-government organizations and SMEs are very active as far environmental issues are concerned.
b. Implementation of projects/programs on industrial waste management:
c. Demonstration of the Viability and Removal of Barriers that Impede Adoption and Successful Implementation of Available Non-Combustion Technologies for Destroying Persistent Organic Pollutants, a UNIDO/GEF-supported project that will introduce and apply a non-combustion technology to destroy significant obsolete polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) wastes. The project objective is to deploy a commercially available, proven non-combustion technology to address 1,500 tons of PCB-containing equipment and wastes in the Philippines.
d. Promotion of the Philippine Environmental Partnership program (PEPP)
Legislation, Rules and Guidelines for the reduction of the amount of hazardous wastes and other wastes subject to transboundary movement
a. Presidential Decree 984: Pollution Control Law of 1976;
b. Presidential Decree 1586: Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System;
c. Republic Act 6969; Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990;
d. Republic Act 8749: Clean Air Act of 1999;
e. Republic Act 9003: Solid Waste Management Act of 2000; and
f. Republic Act 9275: Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.
Economic Instruments/Initiatives
The PEPP, pursuant to DENR Administrative Order 2003-14, is a DENR partnership program with industries, in cooperation with the other environment-related agencies, aimed to support industry self-regulation towards improved environmental performance. The PEPP seeks to provide a package of incentives and reward mechanisms to industries in effective voluntary self-regulation and improved environmental performance. - Latest Activities:
- 8th Meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group of the Basel Convention and Environmentally Sound Management of Wastes Technical Expert Meeting [25-28 September 2012, Geneva, Switzerland] - Attended by Mr. G. Sañez (EMB)
- 12th Meeting of the COP to the Basel Convention (BC COP-12), seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention [May 4-15, 2015, Switzerland] - Attended by Mr. G. Sañez and Mr. R. Cruz (EMB)
- Policy Issuances:
- DENR Administrative Order No.2013 - 22
- Sources / Relevant Links:
This Page was updated on Wednesday, 13 January 2016 18:34
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