Topics covered:
- Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.
Basel Convention
What to study?
For prelims and mains: features, need for and significance of the convention.
Context: 14th Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (COP-14) is being held in Geneva, Switzerland.
Basel Convention — Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal:
- opened for signature on 22 March 1989
- entered into force on 5 May 1992
- Parties — 187.
- Haiti and the United States have signed the Convention but not ratified.
- It is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries (LDCs).
- It does not address the movement of radioactive waste.
- The Convention is also intended to minimize the amount and toxicity of wastes generated, to ensure their environmentally sound management and to assist LDCs in environmentally sound management of the hazardous and other wastes they generate.
Sources: down to earth.
