Osvaldo Alvarez
My involvement in national, regional, and international policy-making and environmental governance in the chemicals and hazardous wastes field began in 2006 when I was appointed Officer-in-charge of Chemicals and Waste Conventions by the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Department for the Environment). From 2007 to 2009, I served as a co-chair to the Ad-hoc Working Group on Cooperation and Coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions.
As a Foreign Service Officer, I have been posted at the Mission of Chile to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva and New York. I have also served at the Embassy of Chile in Canada and Costa Rica.
As of 16 December 2018, I am the Consul General of Chile to Hong Kong and Macau SAR.
In March 2011, I was appointed Head of the Department for the Environment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Santiago, Chile, and later Head of the Department of the Hazardous Chemicals and Waste cluster.
I have actively participated or coordinated for the Group of Latin American and the Caribbean countries in the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel Convention (COP-8, COP-9, COP-10, COP-11, COP-13, COP-14 and COP-15), Rotterdam Convention (COP-3, COP-4, COP-5, COP-6, COP-8, COP-9 and COP-10) and Stockholm Convention (COP-3, COP-4, COP-5, COP-6, COP-8, COP-9 and COP-10). This included IFCS FORA V and VI, ICCM-2, and the Basel Convention OEWG meetings.
I also served as President to the Rotterdam Convention COP-9, President of the Stockholm Convention COP-6, Vice-president to the International Conference on Chemicals Management 2 and 3, and re-elected Vice-president to the Basel Convention COP-9.
On 10 May 2019, I was elected President to the Basel Convention COP-15. The fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention took place on 26-30 July 2021 (online segment) to review POW and Budget. The face-to-face meeting will be held next summer in Geneva, Switzerland.
I also served as Vice-president to the Basel Convention COP-9, President to the Basel Convention COP-15, President to the Rotterdam Convention COP-9, President of the Stockholm Convention COP-6, and as Vice-president to the International Conference on Chemicals Management 2 and 3.
Specialties: Law