The Technical and Legal Working Groups of the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal met from 14-18 January 2002 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Experts from approximately 100 governments were in attendance. The 19th session of the Technical Working Group (TWG) convened from 14-15 January, while the first joint meeting of the Technical and Legal Working Groups took place from 16-17 January. These meetings were followed on 18 January by the fourth session of the Legal Working Group (LWG).
During the 19th session of the TWG, technical guidelines for the identification and environmentally sound management of plastic wastes and for their disposal were adopted after lengthy discussions. A new version of the draft technical guidelines on recycling/reclamation of metal and metal compounds was introduced, while the draft technical guidelines for the environmentally sound management of waste lead-acid batteries were finalized and provisionally adopted. New draft technical guidelines for the environmentally sound management of the full and partial dismantling of ships were presented and will be ready for adoption by the next TWG meeting in May 2002.
During the first joint meeting of the TWG and LWG, delegates considered the progress report on the implementation of the Basel Declaration and the development of a ten-year strategic plan for the Basel Convention, agreeing to establish an intersessional working group on the draft strategic plan. Delegates also discussed the financial limits of liability under the Protocol on Liability and Compensation. Small separate working groups were formed to draft guidance elements for bilateral, multilateral or regional agreements, and to promote the work on prevention and monitoring of illegal traffic in hazardous wastes.
The fourth session of the LWG debated the issue of establishing a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of and compliance with the obligations set out by the Basel Convention. More information on these meetings is available online at: http://www.basel.int