School of Environment, Tsinghua University, 21 Feb, 2023 (Correspondent Duan Lizhe) The 13th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention (OEWG-13) was held at the International Conference Center in Geneva, Switzerland from 21 to 23 February. The meeting saw informative discussions and negotiations on progress, achievements, and future endeavors in strategic, scientific, technological, legal, and international cooperation matters since the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention. Tan Quanyin, assistant professor at the School of Environment and Zhao Nana, Assistant Director of the Basel Convention Regional Center for Asia and the Pacific (referred to as the “BCRC China”), participated the meeting as members of the Chinese delegation, . Three students from the Global Environment Program (GEP) of the School of Environment (SOE) also attended as observers.

As a technical support unit for the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China in the implementation of the Basel Convention, BCRC China was responsible for providing negotiation support to the Chinese delegation. Specifically, Dr. Tan and Ms. Zhao were engaged in negotiations on various issues, including the strategic framework, technical guidelines on environmentally sound management of plastic waste and lead-acid batteries, and strengthening legal clarity of the convention, etc.

Group photo of Chinese delegation members and students from GEP of SOEat the meeting

The Technical Guideline for the Environmentally Sound Management of Waste Lead-acid Batteries have been revised since 2022, with Professor Li Jinhui from the School of Environment co-leading the revision work on behalf of China in collaboration with expert from Uruguay. The Technical Guideline for the Environmentally Sound Management of Waste Plastics was the focus of negotiations at the meeting. All parties had in-depth discussions on key issues such as waste prevention and reduction, chemical recycling, and biodegradable plastics and achieved positive progress. The Technical Guideline has been revised since 2019, with Ms. Zhao Nana co-leading the revision efforts on behalf of China in collaboration with experts from Japan and the United Kingdom.

Ms. Zhao Nana participated in the contact group meeting on revising the technical guideline

Three students from the GEP of the SOE attended the conference as observers via BCRC China, where they had the opportunity to participate in group negotiations and special sessions, as well as track the progress in various topics. Therefore, they gained a deeper understanding of the operational mechanisms of international environmental conventions and trending environmental issues on the international stage.

Contribution: Basel Convention Regional Center for Asia and the Pacific