Country Status

Status of Basel Convention and Basel Ban by Country Table

Last Updated: January 27, 2021.

Country (Annex VII shaded)	Basel Party	Ratified Ban Amendment	Party to Other Accords
Afghanistan	25 March 2013
Albania	29 Jun 1999 (a)	27 Oct 2005 (A)	Izmir
Algeria	15 Sep 1998 (a)	03 Jul 2017	Izmir
Andorra	23 Jul 1999 (a)	23 Jul 1999 (A)
Angola	06 Feb 2017 (a)		Bamako
Antigua and Barbuda	05 Apr 1993 (a)	23 Sep 2016
Argentina	27 Jun 1991 (a)	19 Sep 2011
Armenia	01 Oct 1999 (a)
Australia	05 Feb 1992 (a)		Waigini
Austria	12 Jan 1993 (r)	17 Oct 1999 (A)
Azerbaijan	01 Jun 2001 (a)
Bahamas	12 Aug 1992 (a)
Bahrain	15 Oct 1992 (r)	25 Jul 2005
Bangladesh	01 Apr 1993 (a)
Barbados	24 Aug 1995 (a)
Belarus	10 Dec 1999 (a)
Belgium	01 Nov 1993 (r)	20 Jun 2003
Belize	23 May 1997 (a)
Benin	04 Dec 1997 (a)	22 Jan 2014	Bamako
Bhutan	25 Aug 2002 (a)
Bolivia	15 Nov 1996 (r)	31 Mar 2005
Bosnia and Herzegovina	16 Mar 2001 (a)		Izmir
Botswana	20 May 1998 (a)	17 Jun 2004 (A)
Brazil	01 Oct 1992 (a)
Brunei Darussalam	16 Dec 2002 (a)	16 Dec 2002 (A)
Bulgaria	16 Feb 1996 (a)	15 Feb 2000
Burkina Faso	04 Nov 1999 (a)		Bamako
Burundi	06 Jan 1997 (a)		Bamako
Cambodia	02 Mar 2001 (a)
Cameroon	02 Sep 2001 (a)		Bamako
Canada	28 Aug 1992 (r)
Cabo Verde	02 Jul 1999 (a)
Central African Republic	24 Feb 2006 (a)
Chad	10 Mar 2004 (a)		Bamako
Chile	11 Aug 1992 (r)	12 Aug 2009 (A)
China	17 Dec 1991 (r)	01 May 2001
Colombia	31 Dec 1996 (r)	10 Jun 2014
Comoros	31 Oct 1994 (a)		Bamako
Congo, Republic of	20 Apr 2007 (a)	02 Sept 2014	Bamako
Congo, Democratic Republic of	06 Oct 1994 (a)		Bamako
Cook Islands	29 Jun 2004 (a)	29 Jun 2004	Waigini
Costa Rica	07 Mar 1995 (a)	21 Nov 2019	CAA
Cote d'Ivoire	01 Dec 1994 (a)	24 Sept 2013	Bamako
Croatia	09 May 1994 (a)	6 Sep 2019	Izmir
Cuba	03 Oct 1994 (a)
Cyprus	17 Sep 1992 (r)	07 Jul 2000 (A)	Izmir
Czech Republic	30 Sep 1993 (d)	28 Feb 2000 (A)
Denmark	07 Feb 1994 (AA)	10 Sep 1997 (AA)
Djibouti	31 May 2002 (a)
Dominica	05 May 1998 (a)
Domican Republic	10 Jul 2000 (a)
East Timor
Ecuador	23 Feb 1993 (r)	06 Mar 1998
Egypt	08 Jan 1993 (a)	27 Jan 2004	Bamako Izmir
El Salvador	13 Dec 1991 (r)	07 Dec 2015	CAA
Equatorial Guinea	07 Feb 2003 (a)
Eritrea	10 Mar 2005 (a)
Estonia	21 Jul 1992 (a)	02 Aug 2001
Ethiopia	12 Apr 2000 (a)	08 Oct 2003	Bamako
European Union	07 Feb 1994 (AA)	30 Sep 1997 (AA)	Izmir
Fiji			Waigini
Finland	19 Nov 1991 (A)	05 Sep 1996 (A)
France	07 Jan 1991 (AA)	18 Nov 2003 (AA)	Izmir
Gabon	06 Jun 2008 (a)		Bamako
Gambia	15 Dec 1997 (a)	07 Mar 2001	Bamako
Georgia	20 May 1999 (a)
Germany	21 Apr 1995 (r)	24 May 2002 (A)
Ghana	20 May 2003 (a)	09 Jun 2005
Greece	04 Aug 1994 (r)	12 Jul 2010	Izmir
Grenada
Guatemala	15 May 1995 (r)	26 Dec 2013	CAA
Guinea	26 Apr 1995 (r)	06 Feb 2017
Guinea-Bissau	09 Feb 2005 (a)
Guyana	05 Apr 1002 (a)
Haiti	signature
Hondura	27 Dec 1995 (a)		CAA
Hungary	21 May 1990 (AA)	25 May 2004 (AA)
Iceland	28 Jun 1995 (a)
India	24 Jun 1992 (r)
Indonesia	20 Sep 1993 (a)	24 Oct 2005
Iran, Islamic Republic of	05 Jan 1993 (a)	12 Jan 2016
Iraq	07 Feb 1994 (r)
Ireland	07 Feb 1994 (r)	13 Nov 2009
Israel	04 Dec 1994 (r)		Izmir
Italy	07 Feb 1994 (r)	03 Mar 2009	Izmir
Jamaica	23 Jan 2003 (a)	29 Sep 2015
Japan	17 Sep 1993 (a)
Jordan	22 Jun 1989 (AA)	06 Dec 2004 (AA)
Kazakhstan	03 Jn 2003 (a)
Kenya	01 Jun 2000 (a)	09 Sep 1009 (A)
Kiribati	07 Sep 2000 (a)		Waigini
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of	10 Jul 2008 (a)
Korea, Republic of	28 Feb 1994 (a)
Kuwait	11 Oct 1993 (r)	12 May 2006
Kyrgyzstan	13 Aug 1996 (a)
Lao, People's Democratic Republic	21 Sep 2010 (a)
Latvia	14 Apr 1992 (a)	18 Dec 2003 (A)
Lebanon	21 Dec 1994 (r)	13 Oct 2017 (A)	Izmir
Lesotho	31 May 2000 (a)	22 Feb 2012 (A)
Liberia	22 Sep 2004 (a)	16 Sep 2005 (A)	Bamako
Libya	12 Jul 2001 (a)		Bamako Izmir
Liechtenstein	27 Jan 1992 (r)	20 May 2003 (A)
Lithuania	24 Apr 1999 (a)	07 Nov 2003 (A)
Luxembourg	07 Feb 1994 (r)	14 Aug 1997
Madagascar	02 Jun 1999 (a)
Malawi	21 Apr 1994 (a)	01 Aug 2017
Malaysia	08 Oct 1993 (a)	26 Oct 2001
Maldives	28 Apr 1992 (a)	19 Jun 2017
Mali	12 May 2000 (a)		Bamako
Malta	19 Jun 2000 (a)	12 Dec 2011 (A)	Izmir
Marshall Islands	27 Jan 2003 (a)
Mauritania	16 Aug 1996 (a)
Mauritius	24 Nov 1992 (a)	09 Nov 2004	Bamako
Mexico	22 Feb 1992 (r)
Micronesia, Federated States of	06 Sep 1995 (a)		Waigini
Moldova, Republic of	02 Jul 1998 (a)	18 Nov 2008 (A)
Monaco	31 Aug 1992 (a)	20 Mar 2013 (AA)	Izmir
Mongolia	15 Apr 1997 (a)
Montenegro	23 Oct 2006 (d)	23 Oct 2006 (d)	Izmir
Morocco	28 Dec 1995 (a)	Sep 2004 (AA)	Izmir
Mozambique	13 Mar 1997 (a)		Bamako
Myanmar	96 Jan 2015 (A)
Namibia	15 May 1995 (a)	31 Aug 2018 (A)
Nauru	12 Nov 2001 (a)
Nepal	15 Oct 1996 (a)
Netherlands	16 Apr 1993 (A)	22 Jan 2001 (A)
New Zealand	20 Dec 1994 (r)		Waigini
Nicaragua	03 Jun 1997 (a)	13 Jan 2021	CAA
Niger	17 Jun 1998 (AA)	15 Nov 2015	Bamako
Nigeria	13 Mar 1991 (r)	24 May 2004
Niue
Norway	02 Jul 1990 (r)	16 Jul 1997 (A)
Oman	08 Feb 1995 (a)	17 May 2004
Pakistan	26 Jul 1994 (a)
Palau	08 Sep 2011 (a)
Panama	22 Feb 1991 (r)	07 Oct 1998	CAA
Papua New Guinea	01 Sep 1995 (a)		Waigini
Paraguay	28 Sep 1995 (a)	28 Aug 1998
Peru	23 Nov 1993 (a)	30 Mar 2015 (A)
Philippines	21 Oct 1993 (r)
Poland	20 Mar 1992 (r)	29 Jan 2003 (A)
Portugal	26 Jan 1994 (r)	30 Oct 2000
Qatar	09 Aug 1995 (a)	28 Feb 2002
Romania	27 Feb 1992 (a)	17 Jul 2002 (A)
Russian Federation	31 Jan 1995 (r)
Rwanda	07 Jan 2004 (a)		Bamako
Saint Kitts and Nevis	07 Sep 1994 (a)	29 Aug 2019
Saint Lucia	09 Dec 1993 (a)	22 Jan 2002
Saint Vincent and Granadines	02 Dec 1996 (a)
Samoa	22 Mar 2002 (a)		Waigini
Sao Tome and Principe	12 Nov 2013 (a)
Saudi Arabia	07 Mar 1990 (r)	10 Jan 2013
Senegal	10 Nov 1992 (a)		Bamako
Serbia	18 Apr 2000 (a)	22 Nov 2002 (A)
Seychelles	11 May 1993 (A)	15 Jul 2015
Sierra Leone	01 Nov 2016 (a)	15 Jun 2020
Singapore	02 Jan 1996 (a)
Slovak Republic	28 May 1993 (d)	11 Sep 1998 (A)
Slovenia	07 Oct 1993 (a)	01 Dec 2004	Izmir
Solomon Islands			Waigini
Somalia	26 Jul 2010 (a)
South Africa	05 May 1994 (a)	24 Jun 2016
South Sudan			Bamako
Spain	07 Feb 1994 (r)	07 Aug 1997 (A)	Izmir
Sri Lanka	28 Aug 1992 (a)	29 Jan 1999
State of Palestine	02 Jan 2015 (a)
Sudan	09 Jan 2006 (a)
Suriname	20 Sep 2011 (a)
Swaziland	08 Aug 2005 (a)
Sweden	02 Aug 1991 (r)	10 Sep 1997 (A)
Switzerland	31 Jan 1990 (r)	07 Nov 2002 (A)
Syrian Arab Republic	22 Jan 1992 (r)	05 Oct 2004	Izmir
Tanzania, United Republic of	07 Apr 1993 (a)	26 Aug 2002	Bamako
Tajikstan
Thailand	24 Nov 1997 (r)
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia	16 Feb 1997 (a)	18 Nov 2004
Togo	02 Jul 2004 (a)		Bamako
Tonga	26 Mar 2010 (a)
Trinidad and Tobago	18 Feb 1994 (a)	12 Jan 2000
Tunisia	11 Oct 1995 (a)	26 Mar 1999	Bamako Izmir
Turkey	22 Jun 1994 (r)	27 Aug 2003	Izmir
Turkmenistan	25 Sep 1996 (a)
Tuvalu			Waigini
Uganda	11 Mar 1999 (a)		Bamako
Ukraine	08 Oct 1999 (a)
United Arab Emirates	17 Nov 1992 (r)
United Kingdom	07 Feb 1994 (r)	13 Oct 1997
United States	signature
Uruguay	22 Dec 1991 (r)	10 Mar 1999
Uzbekistan	07 Feb 1996 (a)
Vanuatu	16 Oct 2018 (a)
Venezuela	03 Mar 1998 (r)
Viet Nam	13 Mar 1995 (a)
Yemen, Repiblcic of	21 Feb 1996 (a)
Zambia	15 Nov 1994 (a)	27 Jul 2011
Zimbabwe	01 Mar 2012 (a)		Bamako
Totals	Basel party count	Ratified
	187	100	Bamako (28) Waigani (10) CAA (6) Izmir (22)

* Gray shading indicates an Annex VII country.

General Note: Due to the constant change in status of various treaties, amendments and protocols, the Basel Action Network cannot ensure the absolute accuracy of all of these listings in this table. We therefore appreciate those that will call our attention to any errors or changes in status to assist us in updating the table as accurately and in as timely a manner as possible.

Summary Explanation of Table Listings

Basel Convention

”The Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal” was adopted on 21 March 1989 and went into force on 5 May 1992. It establishes a framework of control over the transboundary movements of hazardous wastes.

As listed in the 2nd column of the table above, if a country has joined the treaty through the deposit of ratification (r), accession (a), acceptance (A) or Approval (AA) they are considered Parties as of the indicated date of deposit. The total number of such Parties is listed at bottom. If a country has signed the treaty but has not yet ratified it, this is indicated by the word “signature”.

Basel Ban Amendment

Plenipotentiaries Meeting: At the meeting of Plenipotentiaries in Basel, Switzerland in March of 1989 a great effort was made to insert a prohibition in the text of the Convention to prevent rich, developed countries from exporting their hazardous wastes to developing countries. Indeed, most developed countries believed this to be the most important reason for the Convention itself. By virtue of the consensus process by which any one country could block an agreement, they were to be disappointed when the United States and some other developed countries continually blocked different variations of the ban. At the adoption of the Convention without the ban, the African Group walked out refusing to sign, stating that they would create their own Convention in Africa which they later accomplished (Bamako Convention).

Second Conference of Parties: Following adoption of the Convention, there was an attempt to create a ban on the export of hazardous wastes from developed to developing countries at the first Conference of the Parties. The first real ban decision did not come into being until the Second Conference of the Parties. Decision II/12 was passed by a consensus of the 66 Parties present in Geneva on 25 March 1994. In this ban all exports of hazardous wastes from OECD to non-OECD countries would be banned. The ban took place immediately for final disposal, and for those wastes bound for recycling destinations, the ban took effect on 31 December 1997. However, detractors of the ban claimed that for the decision to be legally binding it need to become an amendment to the Convention. Thus at the Third Conference of the Parties a new decision III/1 was adopted to create the Basel Ban Amendment.

Third Conference of the Parties: Decision III/1 and Annex VII: Decision III/1 was passed by a consensus of the Parties present at the Third Conference of Parties of the Basel Convention on 22 September 1995 (COP3). It has been determined that there were 90 Parties at that time. The decision established an amendment to the Convention to establish a new Article 4A and an Annex VII. The article obligates Parties that are listed on Annex VII (country members of the OECD, EU and Liechtenstein) to ban exports of hazardous wastes to all countries not listed on Annex VII. Annex VII countries are indicated by the gray shading in the table above. The amendment went into force on December 5, 2019.

In the table above, the third column indicates if the country was present at COP3 and the 4th column indicates whether the country has ratified to date. If a country appears on both the 3rd and 4th columns then its ratification counts towards the 66 Parties needed for entry into force of the amendment.

The Basel Ban Amendment entered into force on December 5, 2019!

For more information on the Basel Ban Amendment click here.

Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

When the Parties to the Convention sought to make an economic distinction between developed and developing countries in Decision II/12, they chose the divider line established by the OECD — a group which currently has 34 members and for the most part represents the more highly developed and industrialized countries. This group by far produces the most hazardous waste (estimated at 90%) and by far has the most resources to ensure that it is dealt with responsibly at home. Thus, the Basel Ban Decision and Amendment were meant to apply only to these countries. In 1995, the Parties created Annex VII and included the EU countries as well as Liechtenstein (an EFTA member country).

European Union

The Basel Convention allows political or economic integration organizations to join the Convention as Parties to it. The European Commission of the European Economic Community, now known as the European Union, has ratified the Convention as have most of their member states. When it comes time to vote in the Convention, ordinarily the European Commission has the competence to vote the 27 votes of the member states plus one vote for the Commission as a bloc of 28. While the competence over ratification of the treaty itself or its amendments remains the subject of some controversy, it is generally accepted that the European Commission possesses the competence for ratification or accession especially over treaties related to trade.

European Economic Agreement

Additionally the countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, all members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) are also bound by the implementation legislation 259/93 and amendments (see below) due to their obligations under the trade linking agreement between EFTA and the EU known as the European Economic Agreement (EEA).

Basel Ban

(See Ban Amendment)

Decision II/12: This decision was passed by a consensus of the 66 Parties at the Second Conference of Parties of the Basel Convention on 25 March 1994. All exports of hazardous wastes from OECD to non-OECD countries would be banned. The ban takes place immediately for final disposal, and for those wastes bound for recycling destinations, the ban would take effect on 31 December 1997.

Decision III/1 and Annex VII: This decision was passed by a consensus of the Parties present at the Third Conference of Parties of the Basel Convention on 22 September 1995. It has been determined that there were 87 Parties at that time. The decision established an amendment to the Convention to establish a new Article 4A and an Annex VII. The article obligates Parties that are listed on Annex VII (country members of the OECD, EU and Liechtenstein) to ban exports of hazardous wastes to all countries not listed on Annex VII. The ban would take place immediately for final disposal, and for those wastes bound for recycling destinations, the ban would take effect on 31 December 1997. The Amendment will go into force when 66 countries (3/4ths of the 87 Parties at that time) have ratified it.

A "Yes" on the table, indicates the country joined in the consensus decision in 1995. The word “Ratified” and the country flag indicates that the country has deposited its ratification.

Bamako Convention

“The Bamako Convention on the ban on the Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes within Africa,” adopted on 29 January 1991, in Bamako, Mali, prohibits the import into Africa of any hazardous, including radioactive, wastes, as well as products which have been banned, cancelled or withdrawn from registration for environmental or health reasons. The Convention entered into force on April 22, 1998 and has had three Conferences of Parties to date. The word "Bamako" in the last column in the table above indicates a country that has ratified the Bamako Convention.

Waigani Convention

“The Convention to Ban the Importation into Forum Island Countries of Hazardous and Radioactive Wastes and to Control the Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes within the South Pacific Region” was adopted on the 16 September 1995, in Waigani, Papua New Guinea by the South Pacific Forum States. The treaty prohibits each Pacific Island developing Party from importing all hazardous and radioactive wastes from outside of the Convention area. Australia and New Zealand are prohibited from exporting hazardous or radioactive wastes to all other South Pacific Forum Island countries. The Convention is now in force. The word "Waigani" in the last column in the table above indicates a country that has ratified the Waigani Convention.

Izmir Protocol

The Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution, (Barcelona Convention) adopted the “Protocol on the Prevention of Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea by Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal” (Izmir Protocol) on 1 October 1996 in Izmir, Turkey. The protocol prohibits the export of hazardous and radioactive wastes to non-OECD countries and those Parties that are not members of the European Community are prohibited from importing hazardous and radioactive wastes. For the purposes of this protocol, Monaco is considered to part of the OECD and the European Community. The protocol is in force. The word “Izmir” in the last column in the table above indicates a country that has ratified the protocol.

Central American Agreement

(Acuerdo Regional sobre Movimiento Transfronterizo de Desechos Peligrosos) The Central American Agreement on Hazardous Waste “Acuerdo Regional sobre MovimientoTransfronterizo de Desechos Peligrosos” signed in December of 1992 by the Cumbre de Presidentes del Istmo Centroamericano, creates a ban on the import of all hazardous wastes into the Central American region. The agreement is understood to currently be binding on all 6 member states. The Agreement defines hazardous waste as does the Bamako Convention above.

The letters “CAA” in the last column of the table above indicates a country for which the agreement is in force.