Treaties and International Agreements

Waste Trade Treaties

Below are some additional treaties/international agreements which deal with the international movement of toxic materials:

• Bamako Convention

This convention 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into Africa of any hazardous, including radioactive, wastes, as well as products which have been banned, cancelled or withdrawn from registration for environmental or health reasons.

• Central American Agreement

This agreement creates a ban on the import of all hazardous wastes into the Central American region.

• Izmir Protocol

This 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.

• Waigani Convention

This 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.

• Waste Shipment Regulation (EU)

This legislation is binding on all 28 member states of the European Union. It implements not only the Basel Convention but also the Basel Ban Amendment (Basel Decision III/1) prohibiting the export of all hazardous wastes from member states of the OECD, EU and Liechtenstein (Annex VII) to all non-Annex VII countries.

• OECD Council Decision (OECD/LEGAL/0266)

This binding agreement can be used only within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member states for in wastes for recovery/recycling. It was created to streamline the notification and consent procedures within the OECD group.

General Toxics Treaties

BAN currently focuses advocacy efforts on these five treaties/international agreements. (For more, see Other Treaties and International Agreements).

• Basel Convention and Ban Amendment

Deals with the control and banning of abusive transboundary movements of hazardous wastes. The Ban Amendment prohibits exports of hazardous wastes from the OECD, EC and Liechtenstein to all other countries.

• London Convention Protocol

Bans virtually all industrial and radioactive waste from being dumped or incinerated at sea.

• Minamata Convention

Seeks to limit overall use of mercury and mercury compounds with the intent of protecting human health and the environment.

• Rotterdam Convention

Seeks to ensure that exports of extremely dangerous chemicals only take place with the consent of the recipient country, and replaces the current voluntary prior informed consent regime with a mandatory one.

• Stockholm Convention

Aims to eliminate from commercial use and release, 24 of the most dangerous global pollutants including the highly toxic, by-products of chlorine chemistry – dioxins and furans.

Country by Country

Countries	Score	BAN	IMO London Convention Protocol	Rotterdam	Stockholm	Minamata
Afghanistan	3			x	x	x
Albania	4	x		x	x	x
Algeria	2	x			x
Andorra	1	x
Angola	2		x	no	x	no
Antigua and Barbuda	5	x	x	x	x	x
Argentina	4	x		x	x	x
Armenia	3			x	x	x
Australia	3		x	x	x	no
Austria	4	x		x	x	x
Azerbaijan	1				x
Bahamas	2				x	x
Bahrain	3	x		x	x
Bangladesh	1				x	no
Barbados	2		x	no	x
Belarus	1				x	no
Belgium	5	x	x	x	x	x
Belize	2			x	x
Benin	4	x		x	x	x
Bhutan	0
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	4	x		x	x	x
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2			x	x
Botswana	4	x		x	x	x
Brazil	3			x	x	x
Brunei Darussalam	1	x			no
Bulgaria	5	x	x	x	x	x
Burkina Faso	3			x	x	x
Burundi	2			x	x
Cabo Verde	2			x	x
Cambodia	2			x	x
Cameroon	2			x	x
Canada	4		x	x	x	x
Central African Republic	1				x
Chad	3			x	x	x
Chile	5	x	x	x	x	x
China	5	x	x	x	x	x
Colombia	4	x		x	x	x
Comoros	2				x	x
Congo	5	x	x	x	x	x
Cook Islands	3	x		x	x
Costa Rica	4	x		x	x	x
Cote d’Ivoire	4	x		x	x	x
Croatia	4	x		x	x	x
Cuba	3			x	x	x
Cyprus	4	x		x	x	x
Czech Republic	4	x		x	x	x
Congo, Democratic Republic of	3	x		x	x
Denmark	5	x	x	x	x	x
Djibouti	3			x	x	x
Dominica	2			x	x
Dominican Republic	3			x	x	x
Ecuador	4	x		x	x	x
Egypt	3	x	x		x
El Salvador	4	x		x	x	x
Equatorial Guinea	3			x	x	x
Eritrea	2			x	x
Estonia	5	x	x	x	x	x
Ethiopia	3	x		x	x	no
European Union	4	x		x	x	x
Fiji	1				x
Finland	5	x	x	x	x	x
France	5	x	x	x	x	x
Gabon	3			x	x	x
Gambia	4	x		x	x	x
Georgia	3		x	x	x	no
Germany	5	x	x	x	x	x
Ghana	5	x	x	x	x	x
Greece	4	x		x	x	x
Grenada	0
Guatemala	4	x	x	x	x	no
Guinea	4	x		x	x	x
Guinea-Bissau	3			x	x	x
Guyana	4		x	x	x	x
Haiti	0
Honduras	3			x	x	x
Hungary	4	x		x	x	x
Iceland	4	x	x		x	x
India	3			x	x	x
Indonesia	4	x		x	x	x
Iran, Islamic Republic of	5	x	x	x	x	x
Iraq	2			x	x	no
Ireland	5	x	x	x	x	x
Israel	1			x	no	no
Italy	3	x	x	x	no	no
Jamaica	4	x		x	x	x
Japan	4		x	x	x	x
Jordan	4	x		x	x	x
Kazakhstan	2			x	x
Kenya	4	x	x	x	x	no
Kiribati	2				x	x
Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of	2			x	x
Korea, Republic of	4		x	x	x	x
Kuwait	4	x		x	x	x
Kyrgyzstan	2			x	x
Lao, People’s Demodratic Republic	3			x	x	x
Latvia	4	x		x	x	x
Lebanon	4	x		x	x	x
Lesotho	4	x		x	x	x
Liberia	3	x		x	x	no
Libya	2			x	x	no
Liechtenstein	4	x		x	x	x
Lithuania	4	x		x	x	x
Luxembourg	5	x	x	x	x	x
Macedonia,former Yugoslav Republic of						no
Madagascar	4		x	x	x	x
Malawi	3	x		x	x	no
Malaysia	2	x		x	no	no
Maldives	3	x		x	x
Mali	3			x	x	x
Malta	4	x		x	x	x
Marshall Islands	4		x	x	x	x
Mauritania	3			x	x	x
Mauritius	4	x		x	x	x
Mexico	4		x	x	x	x
Micronesia, Federated States of	1				x
Moldova, Republic of	4	x		x	x	x
Monaco	3	x			x	x
Mongolia	3			x	x	x
Montenegro	4	x		x	x	x
Morocco	4	x	x	x	x	no
Mozambique	2			x	x	no
Myanmar	1				x
Namibia	4	x		x	x	x
Nauru	1				x
Nepal	2			x	x	no
Netherlands	5	x	x	x	x	x
New Zealand	3		x	x	x	no
Nicaragua	3			x	x	x
Niger	4	x		x	x	x
Nigeria	5	x	x	x	x	x
Niue	1				x
Norway	5	x	x	x	x	x
Oman	4	x		x	x	x
Pakistan	2			x	x	no
Palau	2				x	x
Palestine (State of)	2			x		x
Panama	4	x		x	x	x
Papua New Guinea	1				x
Paraguay	4	x		x	x	x
Peru	5	x	x	x	x	x
Philippines	3		x	x	x	no
Poland	3	x		x	x	no
Portugal	4	x		x	x	x
Qatar	3	x		x	x
Romania	4	x		x	x	x
Russian Federation	2			x	x
Rwanda	3			x	x	x
Saint Kitts and Nevis	5	x	x	x	x	x
Saint Lucia	3	x		no	x	x
Saint Vincent and Granadines	2			x	x
Samoa	3			x	x	x
San Marino	0
Sao Tome and Principe	3			x	x	x
Saudi Arabia	5	x	x	x	x	x
Senegal	3			x	x	x
Serbia	3	x		x	x	no
Seychelles	3	x		no	x	x
Sierra Leone	5	x	x	x	x	x
Singapore	3			x	x	x
Slovakia	4	x		x	x	x
Slovenia	5	x	x	x	x	x
Solomon Islands	1				x
Somalia	2			x	x
South Africa	5	x	x	x	x	x
Spain	4	x	x	x	x	no
Sri Lanka	4	x		x	x	x
Sudan	2			x	x	no
Suriname	4		x	x	x	x
Swaziland (now Eswatini)	3			x	x	x
Sweden	5	x	x	x	x	x
Switzerland	5	x	x	x	x	x
Syrian Arab Republic	4	x		x	x	x
Tajikistan	1				x
Tanzania, United Republic of	3	x		x	x	no
Thailand	3			x	x	x
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia	4	x		x	x	x
Togo	3			x	x	x
Tonga	4		x	x	x	x
Trinidad and Tobago	4	x	x	x	x
Tunisia	3	x		x	x	no
Turkey	3	x		x	x	no
Turkmenistan	0
Tuvalu	2				x	x
Uganda	3			x	x	x
Ukraine	2			x	x
United Arab Emirates	3			x	x	x
United Kingdom	5	x	x	x	x	x
United States	1		no	no	no	x
Uruguay	5	x	x	x	x	x
Uzbekistan	1				x
Vanuatu	4		x	x	x	x
Venezuela	2			x	x	no
Viet Nam	3			x	x	x
Yemen, Republic of	3		x	x	x	no
Zambia	4	x		x	x	x
Zimbabwe	2			x	x	no
totals	617	100	55	161	183	122
Failing (0)	5
Fair (1)	17
Good (2)	33
Very Good (3)	52
Excellent (4)	60
Exceptional (5)	28

*While the European Union is not a country, it is allowed to ratify as a political and economic integration organization.

**Gray shading indicates an OECD Member country.