Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal

General Detail

General Information

  1. Type: Convention
  2. Date of signature:
  3. Place of signature: Basel, Switzerland
  4. Depositary:
  5. Date of entry into force: 05/05/1992

Category

Environment and products

Sub category

Waste

Groups

UNEP

What is it about?

The Basel Convention creates a legal framework that regulates the movement of hazardous wastes across international borders. It was designed to prevent industrialized countries from dumping their hazardous wastes in developing and Eastern European Countries. The primary objectives of the Basel Convention are to ensure that the generation of hazardous waste is reduced to a minimum whenever possible, to reduce the trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes and other wastes by disposing it in the country of generation, to establish enhanced controls on export and import of hazardous waste, to prevent the trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes if those will not be managed in an environmentally sound manner and to co-operate in the exchange of information, technology transfer, the harmonization of standards, codes and guidelines and prevention of illegal traffic. An amendment adopted on 22 September 1995 (36 ratifications as of 2003) prohibits exports of hazardous wastes from EU States, OECD States and Liechtenstein to all other Parties to the Convention. The Protocol of 10 December 1999 establishes rules on liability and compensation for damages caused by oil spills of hazardous waste during export, import or during disposal.

Why is it relevant?

The present Convention does not forbid the international transfer of hazardous waste but rather provides regulation. Developing countries as traditional destination areas of hazardous waste, can continue to benefit from revenues out of this trade, at the same time they are given the power to prevent such materials from reaching their territory. Developing countries also benefit from technology transfer guiding the disposal of hazardous waste.

Additional Information

The provisions of the Basel Convention do not apply to the transfer of nuclear waste. A Conference of the Parties is established to review and evaluate the effective implementation of the Convention. Its Secretariat is headquartered in Geneva.

  • Convention on the ban of the Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes within Africa (Bamako, 30 January 1991)

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Country ratifications
CountryRatification date
Afghanistan25/03/2013
Albania29/06/1999
Algeria15/09/1998
Andorra23/06/1999
Antigua and Barbuda05/04/1993
Argentina27/06/1991
Armenia01/10/1999
Australia05/02/1992
Austria12/01/1993
Azerbaijan01/06/2001
Bahamas12/08/1992
Bahrain15/10/1992
Bangladesh01/04/1993
Barbados24/08/1995
Belarus10/12/1999
Belgium01/11/1993
Belize23/05/1997
Benin04/12/1997
Bhutan26/08/2002
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)15/11/1996
Bosnia and Herzegovina16/03/2001
Botswana20/05/1998
Brazil01/10/1992
Brunei Darussalam16/12/2002
Bulgaria16/02/1996
Burkina Faso04/11/1999
Burundi06/01/1997
Cambodia02/03/2001
Cameroon09/02/2001
Canada28/08/1992
Cape Verde02/07/1999
Central African Republic24/02/2006
Chad10/03/2004
Chile11/08/1992
China17/12/1991
Colombia31/12/1996
Comoros31/10/1994
Congo20/04/2007
Costa Rica07/03/1995
Cote d'Ivoire01/12/1994
Croatia09/05/1994
Cuba03/10/1994
Cyprus17/09/1992
Czech Republic30/09/1993
Democratic People's Republic of Korea10/07/2008
Democratic Republic of the Congo06/10/1994
Denmark06/02/1994
Djibouti31/05/2002
Dominica05/05/1998
Dominican Republic10/07/2000
Ecuador23/02/1993
Egypt08/01/1993
El Salvador13/12/1991
Equatorial Guinea07/02/2003
Eritrea10/03/2005
Estonia21/07/1992
Ethiopia12/04/2000
Finland19/11/1991
France07/01/1991
Gabon06/06/2008
Gambia15/12/1997
Georgia20/05/1999
Germany21/04/1995
Ghana30/05/2003
Greece04/08/1994
Guatemala15/05/1995
Guinea26/04/1995
Guinea-Bissau09/02/2005
Guyana04/04/2001
Honduras27/12/1995
Hungary21/05/1990
Iceland28/06/1995
India24/06/1992
Indonesia20/09/1993
Iran05/01/1993
Iraq02/05/2011
Ireland07/02/1994
Israel14/12/1994
Italy07/02/1994
Jamaica23/01/2003
Japan17/09/1993
Jordan22/06/1989
Kazakhstan03/06/2003
Kenya01/06/2000
Kiribati07/09/2000
Kuwait11/10/1993
Kyrgyzstan13/08/1996
Lao People's Democratic Republic21/09/2010
Latvia14/04/1992
Lebanon21/12/1994
Lesotho31/05/2000
Liberia22/09/2004
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya12/07/2001
Liechtenstein27/01/1992
Lithuania22/04/1999
Luxembourg07/02/1994
Macedonia (The former Yugoslav Republic of)16/02/1997
Madagascar02/06/1999
Malawi21/04/1994
Malaysia08/10/1993
Maldives28/04/1992
Mali05/12/2000
Malta19/06/2000
Marshall Islands27/01/2003
Mauritania16/08/1996
Mauritius24/11/1992
Mexico22/02/1991
Micronesia (Federated States of)06/09/1995
Moldova02/07/1998
Monaco31/08/1992
Mongolia15/04/1997
Montenegro23/10/2006
Morocco28/12/1995
Mozambique13/03/1997
Myanmar06/01/2015
Namibia15/05/1995
Nauru12/11/2001
Nepal15/10/1996
Netherlands16/04/1993
New Zealand20/12/1994
Nicaragua03/06/1997
Niger17/06/1998
Nigeria13/03/1991
Norway02/07/1990
Oman08/02/1995
Pakistan26/07/1994
Palau08/09/2011
Panama22/02/1991
Papua New Guinea01/09/1995
Paraguay28/09/1995
Peru23/11/1993
Philippines21/10/1993
Poland20/03/1992
Portugal26/01/1994
Qatar09/08/1995
Republic of Korea28/02/1994
Romania27/02/1991
Russian Federation31/01/1995
Rwanda07/01/2004
Saint Kitts and Nevis07/09/1994
Saint Lucia09/12/1993
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines02/12/1996
Samoa22/03/2002
Sao Tome and Principe12/11/2013
Saudi Arabia07/03/1990
Senegal10/11/1992
Serbia18/04/2000
Seychelles11/05/1993
Singapore02/01/1996
Slovakia28/05/1993
Slovenia07/10/1993
Somalia26/07/2010
South Africa05/05/1994
Spain07/02/1994
Sri Lanka28/08/1992
Sudan09/01/2006
Suriname20/09/2011
Swaziland08/08/2005
Sweden02/08/1991
Switzerland31/01/1990
Syrian Arab Republic22/01/1992
Thailand24/11/1997
Togo02/07/2004
Tonga26/03/2010
Trinidad and Tobago18/02/1994
Tunisia11/10/1995
Turkey22/06/1994
Turkmenistan25/09/1996
Uganda11/03/1999
Ukraine08/10/1999
United Arab Emirates17/11/1992
United Kingdom07/02/1994
United Republic of Tanzania07/04/1993
Uruguay20/12/1991
Uzbekistan07/02/1996
Venezuela03/03/1998
Viet Nam13/03/1995
Yemen21/02/1996
Zambia15/11/1994
Zimbabwe01/03/2012
Treaties analysis
YearRatifications
19891
19904
199113
199219
199320
199425
199517
199611
19979
19986
199911
20008
20017
20024
20035
20044
20053
20063
20071
20082
20103
20113
20121
20132
20151
Total183
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