Governments representatives and others have been briefed on major upcoming negotiations related to chemicals and waste taking place during 2016 in an event organised by the Geneva Environment Network Secretariat on 26 January.

The briefing informed delegates ahead of the seventh session of the intergovernmental negotiating committee on mercury (INC7) to be held from 10-15 March in Jordan, with regional consultations taking place on 9 March.

The head of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, Jacob Duer, thanked INC7 donor countries - USA, Switzerland, Netherlands, France, Japan, Norway, Belgium, Canada, EU - and host Jordan for their support in preparing the important upcoming negotiation.

Upcoming activities organised by the BRS Conventions were also presented by their Executive Secretary Rolph Payet and David Ogden, chief of the Conventions Operation Branch .

These include the tenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention, to be held in Nairobi from 30 May to 2 June 2016, and the twelfth meeting of the Basel Convention Implementation and Compliance Committee also to be held in Nairobi on 4-6 June.

An update was furthermore provided on the preparation of inputs related to chemicals and waste for the Second Meeting of the UN Environment Assembly, as well as on the sound management of chemicals and waste in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the planning of the second edition of the Global Chemicals Outlook.

UNEP’s Chemicals and Waste Branch will host a meeting to discuss sound management of chemicals and waste in the context of the SDGs Geneva on 11-13 April. A back-to-back meeting will also be held to review preparations the second edition of the Global Chemicals Outlook on 13-14 April.

The SDGs recognise the importance of sound management of chemicals for sustainable development. Following the Fourth International Conference on Chemicals Management held in Geneva last year, countries have also agreed to pursue a post-2020 agenda for the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management.

For more information please click here or write to diana.rizzolio@unep.org