10 May 2013: The 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (BC COP11), the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (RC COP6), the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) (SC COP6), and the second simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the three conventions (ExCOPs2) convened from 28 April-10 May 2013, in Geneva, Switzerland. Over 1000 participants, including over 80 ministers, attended the meetings.

Negotiations in Geneva focused on key elements of the synergies process, including: joint activities among the conventions; progress on enhancing cooperation and coordination among the three conventions; and identifying new concrete areas where synergies could be achieved. Parties also considered convention-specific issues, notably: the listing of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and a compliance mechanism, under the Stockholm Convention; e-waste guidelines and follow-up to the Indonesian-Swiss country-led initiative to improve effectiveness, under the Basel Convention; and the listing of five new chemicals and a compliance mechanism, under the Rotterdam Convention.

While the meeting did not result in agreement on compliance procedures under Stockholm and Rotterdam, the Ordinary and Extraordinary Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions took over 40 decisions, and agreed to convene the next round of chemicals and wastes COPs back-to-back in 2015, without ExCOPs or a high-level segment. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [UN Press Release] [UNEP Press Release]