Compliance

Further resources

Procedures and Mechanisms on Implementation and Compliance with the Basel and Rotterdam Conventions
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Overview and Mandate

Procedures and mechanisms on compliance fall within the mandate of the Rotterdam Convention Compliance Committee.

Information about this subsidiary body (mandate, membership, meetings and reports) is available in the Convention section of the website. This section of the website provides information on the implementation of the Committee’s work programme, including access to Committee members’ restricted webpages.

The Committee’s work programmes adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention pertain to both mandates of the Committee : its specific submissions mandate, and its mandate on systemic issues of general compliance.

General Compliance Issues Mandate

In accordance with paragraph 25 of the procedures and mechanisms on compliance with the Rotterdam Convention, contained in Annex VII to the Convention, the Committee may examine systemic issues of general compliance of interest to all Parties where:

  1. (a) The Conference of the Parties so requests;
  2. (b) The Committee, on the basis of information obtained by the Secretariat, while acting pursuant to its functions under the Convention, from Parties and submitted to the Committee by the Secretariat, decides that there is a need for an issue of general compliance to be examined and for a report on it to be made to the Conference of the Parties.

In accordance with paragraph 26 of Annex VII, the Committee shall submit a report to each ordinary meeting of the Conference of the Parties, reflecting:

  1. a) The work that the Committee has undertaken;
  2. b) The conclusions or recommendations of the Committee;
  3. c) The future programme of work of the Committee, including the schedule of expected meetings which it considers necessary for the fulfilment of its programme of work, for the consideration and approval of the Conference of the Parties.

The generous financial contributions from the European Union, Germany and Switzerland are acknowledged and have enabled the Committee to undertake a number of activities related to its general compliance issues mandate.

Specific Submissions Mandate

In accordance with paragraph 12 of Annex VII, the submissions may be made in writing to the Committee by a Party that believes that, despite its best endeavours, it is or will be unable to comply with certain obligations under the Convention (self-trigger); and a Party that is directly affected or likely to be directly affected by another Party’s alleged failure to comply with the obligations of the Convention (Party-to-Party trigger).

The Committee shall consider any submission made to it in accordance with paragraphs 12 or 13, with a view to determining the facts and root causes of the matter of concern and to assisting in its resolution, taking into account Article 16 of the Convention. Paragraph 19 also specifies that the Committee may provide a Party with: advice, non-binding recommendations; and any further information required to assist the Party in developing a compliance action plan. Paragraph 20 also sets out other possible measures to address compliance issues that the Committee may recommend to the Conference of the Parties.