Bali, Indonesia - Representatives from 170 countries kicked
off their five-day informal meeting on the Indonesian resort island
of Bali on Monday, to discuss how to manage the trans-boundary
traffic of hazardous waste.
Indonesia's Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar opened the
conference, which will focus on the impacts of hazardous waste on
human health and livelihoods in terms of the UN's millennium
development goals, conference organizers said.
'The fact that there are cases whereby hazardous waste and its
trans-boundary movement brings serious risks toward human health and
the environment will emphasize the strong and mutually dependent
relationship between environmentally sound waste management and
sustainable development,' Witoelar said.
Witoelar said Indonesia's long coastline - the second longest in
the world - made it particular vulnerable to the illegal dumping of
toxic waste under the Basel Convention.
'The Basel Convention meant to arrest the risks of environmental
degradation caused by trans-boundary movement of hazardous waste,' he
said, adding that the Basel Convention is 'not only a matter of
controlling trans-boundary movement of hazardous waste but it is a
part of larger framework for ensuring environmental sustainability.'
The conference will discuss legal aspects of waste import bans,
regional cooperation in strengthening the Basel Convention's
position, and holding a world forum on waste management related to
human health.
The more than 1,000 participants would also discuss the disposal
of massive amounts of electronic waste such as old mobile phones.
The Basel Convention was adopted in the late 1980s and entered
into force in 1992. It requires the export and import of all
hazardous waste to be banned to protect human health and the
environment against their adverse effects.
However, only 62 member countries have so far ratified the
amendment, including Indonesia.
International activist groups, including Greenpeace and the Basel
Action Network, have repeatedly called on the Basel parties to
enforce the ban amendment immediately to prevent further
environmental damage.
The conference is expected to issue a 'Bali Declaration' aimed at
highlighting the importance of health and waste management for global
development strategies such as reducing poverty.
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