The Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions hosted a workshop on the prosecution of illegal traffic of hazardous wastes under the Basel Convention, from 28-29 August 2013, together with the Basel Convention Regional Center, Argentina.
September 2013: The Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions hosted a workshop on the prosecution of illegal traffic of hazardous wastes under the Basel Convention, from 28-29 August 2013, together with the Basel Convention Regional Center, Argentina.
The workshop highlighted key challenges to prosecuting illegal traffic of hazardous wastes under the Convention, including weaknesses in the national legal and institutional frameworks, such as incomplete implementing legislation, and lack of adequate penalties and of clear procedures. Participants also cited the need for access to adequate resources, for instance laboratories to identify wastes, and access to technical knowledge.
Officers from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela attended the training event. Also in attendance were experts from the European Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL), Cluster Transfrontier Shipment of Waste (TFS), the Environmental Prosecutors Network, the Latin American Environmental Prosecutors Network (LAEPN), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Office for Latin American Countries (ROLAC), Interpol and the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat.
The workshop was funded through the EU under the Thematic Programme for Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources including Energy (ENRTP). [Basel Convention Website]