The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) launched a three-day long workshop Tuesday, on the implementation of national plans for the Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, in the framework of the Basel Convention.
A number of officials from MoECC, the Ministry of Municipality, Qatar Foundation, QatarEnergy, the General Authority of Customs, as well as a delegation from Saudi Arabia's National Centre for Waste Management are participating in the workshop.
Organised by the MoECC's Chemicals and Hazardous Waste Department, in co-operation with the National Centre for Waste Management, the workshop aims to discuss the provisions, obligations, implementation, and challenges regarding the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, as well as the methodology in preparing national reports in light of amendments to the convention. The workshop will also co-ordinate waste transporting efforts together with the National Centre for Waste Management.
In this regard, Eng. Samira Mohamed al-Dosari, the Basel Convention acting director at Chemicals and Hazardous Waste Department, explained that the workshop comes in light of many developments that brought about new challenges obstructing the optimal implementation of the Convention, thus, the need for this worship, in order to engage in the exchange of ideas, enhance cooperation among signatory states, and develop a common vision of best practices.
Al-Dosari pointed out that this workshop stems from MoECC's vision on the importance of joint action and the exchange of ideas and expertise between Qatar and the Saudi National Centre for Waste Management, in order to arrive at the workshop's objectives and set informed recommendations for updating the mechanisms and methods for the safe disposal of waste.
The first day of the workshop introduced the Basel Convention's provisions, its objectives, and the obligations signatory states must meet, in addition to the work of the Basel Convention's regional centres, and the efforts made in during the negotiation process to arrive at the convention.
