Basel Convention

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries (LDCs).

Adoption Date

1989

Entry into Force

1992

Key Provisions

1
Prior Informed Consent (PIC)
2
Environmentally Sound Management (ESM)
3
Ban Amendment

Relevance to Africa

Crucial for preventing the dumping of e-waste and other hazardous materials in African countries.

The Basel Convention is critical for African nations to prevent the dumping of e-waste disguised as "used goods" from developed nations. The Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure ensures that receiving countries must explicitly agree to import hazardous materials.

The Ban Amendment

Entered into force in 2019, the Ban Amendment prohibits the export of hazardous wastes for any reason from OECD, EU, and Liechtenstein to all other Parties. This was a crucial victory for developing nations to stop "toxic colonialism".