Country Status

Status of Basel Convention and Basel Ban by Country

Legend: Maroon: Basel Convention has entered into force Gray: Basel Convention has not entered into force/Country is not a party to the Basel Convention

Legend: Red: Needed for entry into force - Not ratified Green: Needed for entry into force of Basel Ban - Ratified Blue: Not needed for entry into force - Ratified

Status of Basel Convention and Basel Ban by Country Table

Country (Annex VII shaded)	Basel Party	Ban Decision II/12	Ban Decision III/1
Afghanistan	25 March 2013
Albania	29 Jun 1999 (a)		Ratified! 27 Oct 2005 (A)
Algeria	15 Sep 1998 (a)
Andorra	23 Jul 1999 (a)		Ratified! 23 Jul 1999 (A)
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda	05 Apr 1993 (a)	X	X
Argentina	27 Jun 1991 (r)	X	Ratified! 19 Sept 2011
Armenia	01 Oct 1999 (a)
Australia	05 Feb 1992 (a)	X	X
Austria	12 Jan 1993 (r)	X	Ratified! 17 Oct 1999 (A)
Azerbaijan	01 Jun 2001 (a)
Bahamas	12 Aug 1992 (a)	X	X
Bahrain	15 Oct 1992 (r)		Ratified! 25 Jul 2005
Bangladesh	01 Apr 1993 (a)	X	X
Barbados	24 Aug 1995 (a)
Belarus	10 Dec 1999 (a)
Belgium	01 Nov 1993 (r)	X	Ratified! 20 Jun 2003
Belize	23 May 1997 (a)
Benin	04 Dec 1997 (a)		Ratified! 22 Jan 2014
Bhutan	26 Aug 2002 (a)
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	15 Nov 1996 (r)		Ratified! 31 Mar 2005
Bosnia and Herzegovina	16 Mar 2001 (a)
Botswana	20 May 1998 (a)		Ratified! 17 Jun 2004 (A)
Brazil	01 Oct 1992 (a)	X	X
Brunei Darussalam	16 Dec 2002 (a)		Ratified! 16 Dec 2002 (A)
Bulgaria	16 Feb 1996 (a)		Ratified! 15 Feb 2000
Burkina Faso	04 Nov 1999(a)
Burundi	06 Jan 1997 (a)
Cambodia	02 Mar 2001 (a)
Cameroon	02 Sep 2001 (a)
Canada	28 Aug 1992 (r)	X	X
Cabo Verde	02 Jul 1999 (a)
Central African Republic	24 Feb 2006 (a)
Chad	10 Mar 2004 (a)
Chile	11 Aug 1992 (r)	X	Ratified! 12 Aug 2009 A
China	17 Dec 1991 (r)	X	Ratified! 01 May 2001
Colombia	31 Dec 1996 (r)		Ratified! 10 Jun 2014
Comoros	31 Oct 1994 (a)
Congo, Republic of	20 April 2007 (a)		Ratified! 02 Sept 2014
Congo, Democratic Republic of	06 Oct 1994 (a)
Cook Islands	29 Jun 2004 (a)		Ratified! 29 Jun 2004 (A)
Costa Rica	07 Mar 1995 (a)		X
Cote d'Ivoire	01 Dec 1994 (a)		Ratified! 24 Sept 2013
Croatia	09 May 1994 (a)	X	Implemented! X
Cuba	03 Oct 1994 (a)		X
Cyprus	17 Sep 1992 (r)	X	Ratified! 07 Jul 2000 (A)
Czech Republic	30 Sep 1993 (d)	X	Ratified! 28 Feb 2000 (A)
Denmark	06 Feb 1994 (AA)	X	Ratified! 10 Sep 1997 (AA)
Djibouti	31 May 2002 (a)
Dominica	05 May 1998 (a)
Dominican Republic	10 Jul 2000 (a)
East Timor
Ecuador	23 Feb 1993 (r)	X	Ratified! 06 Mar 1998
Egypt	08 Jan 1993 (a)	X	Ratified! 27 Jan 2004
El Salvador	13 Dec 1991 (r)	X	X
Equatorial Guinea	07 Feb 2003 (a)
Eritrea	10 Mar 2005 (a)
Estonia	21Jul 1992 (a)	X	Ratified! 02 Aug 2001
Ethiopia	12 Apr 2000 (a)		Ratified! 08 Oct 2003
European Union*	07 Feb 1994 (AA)	X	Ratified! 30 Sep 1997 (AA)
Fiji
Finland	19 Nov 1991 (A)	X	Ratified! 05 Jun 1996 (A)
France	07 Jan 1991 (AA)	X	Ratified! 18 Nov 2003 (AA)
Gabon	6 Jun 2008 (a)
Gambia	15 Dec 1997 (a)		Ratified! 09 Mar 2001
Georgia	20 May 1999 (a)
Germany	21 Apr 1995 (r)	X	Ratified! 24 May 2002 (A)
Ghana	30 May 2003 (a)		Ratified! 09 Jun 2005
Greece	04 Aug 1994 (r)	X	Ratified! 12 Jul 2010
Grenada
Guatemala	15 May 1995 (r)		Ratified! 26 Dec 2013
Guinea	26 Apr 1995 (r)		X
Guinea-Bissau	09 Feb 2005 (a)
Guyana	04 Apr 2001 (a)
Haiti	signature
Honduras	27 Dec 1995 (a)
Hungary	21 May 1990 (AA)	X	Ratified! 25 May 2004 (AA)
Iceland	28 Jun 1995 (a)		Implemented!
India	24 Jun 1992 (r)	X	X
Indonesia	20 Sep 1993 (a)	X	Ratified! 24 Oct 2005
Iran, Islamic Republic of	05 Jan 1993 (a)	X	X
Iraq	02 May 2011 (a)
Ireland	07 Feb 1994 (r)	X	Ratified! 13 Nov 2009
Israel	04 Dec 1994 (r)		Implemented! X
Italy	07 Feb 1994 (r)	X	Ratified! 3 March 2009
Jamaica	23 Jan 2003 (a)		Ratified! 29 Sep 2015
Japan	17 Sep 1993 (a)	X	X
Jordan	22 Jun 1989 (AA)	X	Ratified! 06 Dec 2004 (AA)
Kazakhstan	03 Jun 2003 (a)
Kenya	01 Jun 2000 (a)		Ratified! 9 Sep 2009 A
Kiribati	07 Sep 2000 (a)
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of	10 Jul 2008 (a)
Korea, Republic of	28 Feb 1994 (a)		X
Kuwait	11 Oct 1993 (r)	X	Ratified! 12 May 2006
Kyrgyzstan	13 Aug 1996 (a)
Lao, People's Democratic Republic	21 September 2010 (a)
Latvia	14 Apr 1992 (a)	X	Ratified! 18 Dec 2003 (A)
Lebanon	21 Dec 1994 (r)		X
Lesotho	31 May 2000 (a)		Ratified! 22 Feb 2012 A
Liberia	22 Sep 2004 (a)		Ratified! 16 Sep 2005 (A)
Libya	12 Jul 2001 (a)
Liechtenstein	27 Jan 1992 (r)	X	Ratified! 20 May 2003 (A)
Lithuania	24 Apr 1999 (a)		Ratified! 7 Nov 2003 (A)
Luxembourg	07 Feb 1994 (r)	X	Ratified! 14 Aug 1997
Madagascar	02 Jun 1999 (a)
Malawi	21 Apr 1994 (a)	X	X
Malaysia	08 Oct 1993 (a)	X	Ratified! 26 Oct 2001
Maldives	28 Apr 1992 (a)	X	X
Mali	12 May 2000 (a)
Malta	19 Jun 2000 (a)		Implemented!
Marshall Islands	27 Jan 2003 (a)
Mauritania	16 Aug 1996 (a)
Mauritius	24 Nov 1992 (a)	X	Ratified! 09 Nov 2004
Mexico	22 Feb 1991 (r)	X	Implemented! X
Micronesia, Federated States of	06 Sep 1995 (a)
Moldova, Republic of	02 Jul 1998 (a)		Ratified! 18 Nov 2008 (A)
Monaco	31 Aug 1992 (a)	X	Ratified! 20 March 2013 AA
Mongolia	15 Apr 1997 (a)
Montenegro	23 Oct 2006 (d)		Ratified! 23 Oct 2006 (d)
Morocco	28 Dec 1995 (a)		Ratified! 10 Sep 2004 (AA)
Mozambique	13 Mar 1997 (a)
Myanmar	06 January 2015 (A)
Namibia	15 May 1995 (a)		X
Nauru	12 Nov 2001 (a)
Nepal	15 Oct 1996 (a)
Netherlands	16 Apr 1993 (A)	X	Ratified! 22 Jan 2001 (A)
New Zealand	20 Dec 1994 (r)		X
Nicaragua	03 Jun 1997 (a)
Niger	17 Jun 1998 (AA)		Ratified! 15 Nov 2015
Nigeria	13 Mar 1991 (r)	X	Ratified! 24 May 2004
Niue
Norway	02 Jul 1990 (r)	X	Ratified! 16 Jul 1997 (A)
Oman	08 Feb 1995 (a)		Ratified! 17 May 2004
Pakistan	26 Jul 1994 (a)	X	X
Palau	08 September 2011 (a)
Panama	22 Feb 1991 (r)		Ratified! 07 Oct 1998
Papua New Guinea	01 Sep 1995 (a)
Paraguay	28 Sep 1995 (a)		Ratified! 28 Aug 1998
Peru	23 Nov 1993 (a)	X	Ratified! 30 Mar 2015 (A)
Philippines	21 Oct 1993 (r)	X	X
Poland	20 Mar 1992 (r)	X	Ratified! 29 Jan 2003 (A)
Portugal	26 Jan 1994 (r)	X	Ratified! 30 Oct 2000
Qatar	09 Aug 1995 (a)		Ratified! 28 Feb 2002
Romania	27 Feb 1991 (a)	X	Ratified! 17 Jul 2002 (A)
Russian Federation	31 Jan 1995 (r)		X
Rwanda	07 Jan 2004 (a)
Saint Kitts and Nevis	07 Sep 1994 (a)
Saint Lucia	09 Dec 1993 (a)	X	Ratified! 22 Jan 2002
Saint Vincent and Granadines	02 Dec 1996 (a)
Samoa	22 Mar 2002 (a)
Sao Tome and Principe	12 November 2013 (a)
Saudi Arabia	07 Mar 1990 (r)	X	Ratified! 10 Jan 2013
Senegal	10 Nov 1992 (a)	X	X
Serbia	18 April 2000 (a)		Ratified! 22 Nov 2002 (A)
Seychelles	11 May 1993 (A)	X	Ratified! 15 Jul 2015
Sierra Leone
Singapore	02 Jan 1996 (a)
Slovak Republic	28 May 1993 (d)	X	Ratified! 11 Sep 1998 (A)
Slovenia	07 Oct 1993 (a)	X	Ratified! 01 Dec 2004
Solomon Islands
Somalia	26 July 2010 (a)
South Africa	05 May 1994 (a)	X	X
South Sudan
Spain	07 Feb 1994 (r)	X	Ratified! 07 Aug 1997 (A)
Sri Lanka	28 Aug 1992 (a)		Ratified! 29 Jan 1999
State of Palestine	02 January 2015 (a)
Sudan	09 Jan 2006 (a)
Suriname	20 September 2011 (a)
Swaziland	08 Aug 2005 (a)
Sweden	02 Aug 1991 (r)	X	Ratified! 10 Sep 1997 (A)
Switzerland	31 Jan 1990 (r)	X	Ratified! 07 Nov 2002 (A)
Syrian Arab Republic	22 Jan 1992 (r)		Ratified! 05 Oct 2004
Tanzania, United Republic of	07 Apr 1993 (a)	X	Ratified! 26 Aug 2002
Tajikistan
Thailand	24 Nov 1997 (r)
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia	16 Feb 1997 (a)		Ratified! 18 Nov 2004
Togo	02 Jul 2004 (a)
Tonga	26 March 2010 (a)
Trinidad and Tobago	18 Feb 1994 (a)	X	Ratified! 12 Jan 2000
Tunisia	11 Oct 1995 (a)		Ratified! 26 Mar 1999
Turkey	22 Jun 1994 (r)	X	Ratified! 27 Aug 2003
Turkmenistan	25 Sep 1996 (a)
Tuvalu
Uganda	11 Mar 1999 (a)
Ukraine	08 Oct 1999 (a)
United Arab Emirates	17 Nov 1992 (r)	X
United Kingdom	07 Feb 1994 (r)	X	Ratified! 13 Oct 1997
United States	signature		X
Uruguay	22 Dec 1991 (r)	X	Ratified! 10 Mar 1999
Uzbekistan	07 Feb 1996 (a)
Vanuatu
Venezuela	03 Mar 1998 (r)
Viet Nam	13 Mar 1995 (a)		X
Yemen, Republic of	21 Feb 1996 (a)
Zambia	15 Nov 1994 (a)		Ratified! 27 Jul 2011
Zimbabwe	01 March 2012 (a)
TOTALS:	183 Parties		81 Ratified (4 More Implemented)

* 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

(See 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.

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. If a country has signed the treaty but has not yet ratified it, this is indicated by the word “signature”.

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 and for the most part represent 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. With respect to the Basel Ban Amendment which the Commission has ratified while individual member states have not all taken the somewhat redundant step of likewise ratifying, our table records the Commission and all of the EU countries which (in total 28), while not all having deposited individual ratifications, nevertheless are bound by the Basel Ban as having “Implemented!” it in national law as required by the Waste Shipment Regulation of the European Union.

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). As Norway has ratified the Basel Ban Amendment outright, it is listed as a ratifier of the Basel Ban Amendment while Iceland and Liechtenstein are listed as having implemented it.

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.

An X on the table indicates the country joined in the consensus decision.

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.

An X 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. The word “Implemented” indicates that the country has not ratified but has in fact implemented the agreement in its national policies or laws. However for a full count of ratifications visit the Deposit Box.