Representatives of countries that
signed the 1992 Basel Convention to stop the illegal dumping of toxic waste and
ships in third-world countries will meet in Colombia 's
coastal city Cartagena
During the October 17-21 summit, the
countries will evaluate the convention and put an extra focus on the dumping of
electronic waste, Delphine Reuter of NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a coalition of
human rights, labor rights and environmental organizations, told Colombia
Reports.
According to Reuter, one of the most
controversial points on the agenda is that "the Basel Convention on the
Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal,
which has authority over the proper handling of waste onboard end-of-life ships
sent for breaking in South Asia and elsewhere, could be replaced with the 2009
Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling as far as end-of-life ships are
concerned."
The NGO claims that the Hong Kong convention "does not provide enough
control on the shipbreaking operations so as to ensure that neither the
environment nor the workers are suffering from them."
The Conference of the Parties to the
Basel Convention is the tenth of its sort.
Source: Colombia
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