About

History

Transboundary movements of hazardous has been increasing concerns for global community, particularly for the countries in East and South-East Asia where experiencing rapid economic growth and industrialization. The Basel Convention is the multilateral environmental agreement that was designed to reduce and control the movements of hazardous wastes through legal system in order to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects of such wastes. For the Convention to be operationalized in an effective manner, active involvement of all relevant stakeholders at both domestic and international level is essential.

To respond to such needs, the establishment of the "Asian Network for Prevention of Illegal Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes" was proposed by the Government of Japan at the First Session of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention (OEWG1) in 2003.

Objectives and Activities

The Objectives of the Network initially described in the “Terms of Reference” of the Network are as follows;

  • Sharing information and creating a common understanding on the status of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes in Asia;
  • Assisting the participating countries to take national actions to prevent and control illegal transboundary movements of hazardous wastes; and
  • Contributing to development of a common approach for prevention of illegal transboundary movements of hazardous wastes as well as environmentally sound material cycle in the region.

For more detailed information, please check "Terms of Reference [PDF 37KB]" of the Asian Network.

Since the establishment, the Network has conducted several activities including the followings:

  1. Creating face-to-face meeting opportunity thorough organization of annual workshops aiming at promotion of the information exchange among participating countries;
  2. Developing a website as an effective tool to promote exchange and dissemination of information relevant to the implementation of the Basel Convention.
  3. Conducting desk studies with regard to transboundary movements and/or the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes and other wastes in Asia
  4. Supplying the information accumulated in the Network for capacity building activities for the participating countries, e.g. guidelines and technical manuals;