National Legislative Ammendments in accordance with the Basel Convention

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, was developed in response to concerns internationally, involving the dramatic rise in the illegal shipment of hazardous waste from developed countries for disposal in developing countries and Eastern Europe. Trinidad and Tobago acceded to the Basel Convention in 1994, and as such the country is obligated to ensure that such waste is managed and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.

The country has experienced ad hoc incidents involving the unauthorised entry of hazardous chemicals and waste into the country. Although these were fortunately detected by the Customs and Excise Division, as they were in contravention with a list of permissible substances on their check system, all the hazardous substances as listed under the Basel Convention are not currently included in that system. Thus, the country remains at risk for future illegal trafficking of hazardous waste.

In response to this issue, the EPPD initiated a series of mechanisms to make amendments to the Import and Export Negative Lists, which would by extension give the force of law nationally to the implementation of the Basel Convention. More specifically, the objective is to establish an Import and Export Licensing System, through the inclusion of those Basel Convention hazardous wastes that are of major concern locally on to the Import and Export Negative Lists respectively.

This will serve two main functions:

•  the restriction of the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes across the country’s borders and;
•  the creation of a regulatory mechanism to monitor and control by way of documentation of the  hazardous waste being transported. 

Consultations have been ongoing with key stakeholders, namely the Customs and Excise Division, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) as the Competent Authority under the Basel Convention and the Ministry of Legal Affairs. Thus far progress has been positive and the key stakeholders have been very active and accommodating. It is anticipated that the final steps on this matter would be implemented in the not too distant future.

 

National Follow-Up Seminar on Industrial Chemicals under the Rotterdam Convention

The Basel Convention Regional Centre (BCRC-Caribbean) in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade engaged in a tri-fold programme to address the sound management  of industrial chemicals under the Rotterdam Convention. 

The 3rd phase of this programme entailed a National Follow-Up Seminar in the 3 pilot (Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and St. Vincent and the Grenadines) for which updates of their Chemical Profiles were completed in June 2015. 

The National Follow-Up Seminar was held on July 22, 2015 at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre, Port of Spain, Trinidad. Ms. Keima Gardiner, Environmental Specialist of the Environmental Policy and Planning Division of the Ministry of Planning and Development attended the Seminar.

Objectives  of the meeting included:

• Strengthening  or establishing the National Committee for chemicals management to address the obligations under the Rotterdam Convention
• Refining the National Framework for the management of industrial chemicals developed at the Introductory Workshop which was held in October 2014 and hosted and coordinated by the same two parties.

Also in attendance were representatives from the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), the Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Cooperation Limited (PLIPDECO), along with other relevant local agencies.   

Regional Workshop in Support of the Ratification and Effective Implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury

The Regional Workshop in support of the Ratification and Effective Implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury was held in Montevideo, Uruguay, from the 16th to 17th of April 2015 hosted by the Minamata Secretariat,.

In attendance at the Workshop were regional Parties to the Minamata Convention (e.g. Guyana, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica), as well as representatives from the regional Parties to at least one of the following: the Stockholm, Rotterdam or Basel Conventions. Ms. Keima Gardiner, Environmental Engineering Specialist, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources represented Trinidad and Tobago. 

Ms. Gardiner with a tuna-can model of a shark that was created by school  children and presented to Uruguayan Government Officials in an effort to raise awareness of mercury poisoning and the Minamata Convention at the  Regional Workshop.

Additionally, there were members from Basel and Stockholm Regional and Coordinating Centres, an array of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and intergovernmental government organisations (IGOs), and representatives from the BRS Secretariat. 

The Workshop commenced with a joint session between the Minamata and the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions on matters related to financing and coordination and cooperation. The remainder of the two-day session focused on matters related to the inter-governmental negotiating committee (INC), financial mechanisms and enabling activities to support implementation, technical advice on ratification and regional country-level experiences on the process of ratification or implementation of the Convention.

Trinidad and Tobago benefited from attending this regional workshop as there was current information presented about this hazardous chemical, and the progress made on the implementation of the Convention from a Secretariat and country scale. This feedback can be used to facilitate informed decision making and policy development as the country arrives at a definitive position on the issue of ratification of the Minamata Convention.