On 26 November, 2019 ESDO and Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) in Minamata COP3 jointly intervened on Mercury Waste Thresholds. They supported the outcome of the work of the group of technical experts on mercury waste thresholds. Both expressed their solidarity to the recommendations from the expert group and with the need of intercessional work after COP3, including the recommendation on developing the threshold for industrial non-ferrous mine tailings.
They suggested two ways to strengthen coordination process between waste expert group to “cooperate” with the Basel Convention update process.
First, the Secretariat should request from Parties and other stakeholders information identifying potential gaps in the current Basel guidelines that should be addressed, and other revisions to the Guidelines as needed to improve its utility, by January 31, 2020. The information would help inform the waste expert group engagement with the Basel guideline update. Second, the COP should request that the secretariat collaborate with the Basel Convention Secretariat to establish a process or otherwise assist the waste expert group “cooperation” with the Basel group performing the guidelines update.
