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Promote Sound Material-Cycle society

Project Name Strengthening of partnership through the Asian Network for Prevention of Illegal Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes (419KB)
Location Asian region
Project Background In the Asian region, metal scraps and electrical and electronic waste are imported / exported for the purpose of resource recycling. As for the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes, the necessary procedure is conducted based on the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. However, some hazardous wastes are illegally imported / exported and treated in an improper manner, which causes adverse effects to human health and the environment. With considering these backgrounds, the Ministry of the Environment proposed the establishment of the "Asian Network for Prevention of Illegal Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes" at the First Session of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention in 2003.
Objectives The Asian Network for Prevention of Illegal Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes aims at the capacity building of Asian countries to implement the Basel Convention and develop an information exchange system (network) among the relevant countries, to prevent the illegal import and export of hazardous wastes.
Member Countries/ Regions Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam (alphabetical order)
Project Achievements The Asian Network Workshop
The Asian Network Workshop for Prevention of Illegal Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes has been held six times since 2004. The workshop for FY 2009 was held on January 27-29th, 2010 in Yokohama, Japan. In addition to officers of the Basel Convention as the regular participants, customs officers from 10 Asian countries attended the workshop for the first time, and discussed on the strengthening of cooperation in the whole region to effectively prevent illegal import and export at the borders. It has been agreed that future cooperation will be promoted in terms of strengthening the liaison system domestically and internationally, sharing each country's good practices, and the procedure for repatriation of illegal cargo.

E-handbook

In the 2009 workshop, development of a web-based handbook was agreed among the member countries. The e-handbook aims at sharing good practices of the Basel Convention and strengthening the competence of the entire region. Four handbooks have been created so far, and they are available to the public on the website of the Asian Network.
( http://www.env.go.jp/en/recycle/asian_net/Information_Tools/E-handbook_for_good_practice.html)[New window opens]

Other Activities

A research on definitions and criteria of secondhand electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and E-waste was conducted by the Basel Convention Coordinating Center for Asia and the Pacific (BCRC China) for better understanding of differences in rules and regulations of each country. The project was completed in 2009 and the final report of the project is downloadable at the website of BCRC China (http://www.bcrc.cn/)[New window opens].
Participants of the Asian Network Workshop 2009
Participants of the Asian Network Workshop 2009
Planned Activities The Asian Network Workshop is one of the approaches concerned with environmentally sound management and transboundary movement of hazardous wastes which have been conducted continuously in the Asian region. The workshop plays an important role in sharing information on regular basis and effectively implementing the Basel Convention, not only for Japan but also with other Asian countries. A workshop will also be held this fiscal year (FY2010), by selecting a theme to meet the member countries' needs.
Project Partners Secretariat of the Basel Convention
Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for Asia and the Pacific
Basel Convention Regional Centre for South-East Asia
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