Nairobi/Geneva,
8 September 2006 – At the request of the Government
of Côte d’Ivoire, the Secretariat of the
Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement
of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, administered
by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
is investigating whether the wastes dumped in
the densely populated city of Abidjan are linked
to illegal exports from Europe.
The Secretariat is also assessing
where legal responsibility for the disaster may
lie and whether the Convention’s trust fund can
be tapped to support clean-up operations.
“The disaster in Abidjan is
a particularly painful illustration of the human
suffering caused by the illegal dumping of wastes,”
said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
“As global trade flows expand
and tough domestic controls raise the costs of
hazardous wastes disposal in developed countries,
the opportunities and incentives for illegal trafficking
of wastes will continue to grow,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has
confirmed that a request for international assistance
was made on 4 September, based on a short- and
medium-term response plan that requires $13.5
million. National authorities have indicated that
they do not have the capacity to assess fully
and mitigate the problem.
The OCHA Environmental Emergencies
Section is monitoring the situation closely, has
offered assistance to Cote d'Ivoire through the
OCHA office in the country, and has alerted the
European Commission and other francophone donors
to the situation.
An inter-agency task force has
been established in Cote d'Ivoire to coordinate
UN agencies response to the situation and the
Government's request for assistance. The Humanitarian
Coordinator has requested a detailed emergency
plan, focused on immediate priority needs, from
the Government.
UNEP collaborates closely with
Governments and local authorities in dealing with
illegal waste dumping of this nature, strengthening
local capacity to address situations such as the
one unfolding in Côte d’Ivoire.
Under the Basel Convention,
any country exporting hazardous wastes must obtain
the prior written permission of the importing
country, and a permit detailing the contents and
destination of the wastes must accompany the cargo
throughout its voyage. In the case of an illegal
trade, the responsible exporter is obliged to
take back the wastes and pay the costs of damages
and clean up.
European Union law implementing
the Basel Convention prohibits all exports of
hazardous wastes from EU members to developing
countries.
