CM/Res.1199 (XLIX)
RESOLUTION ON GLOBAL CONVENTION FOR THE CONTROL OF TRANSBOUNDARY MOVEMENT OF HAZARDOUS
WASTES
The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting in its Forty-ninth Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 20 to 25 February, 1989,
Recalling Resolution CM/Res.1153 (XLVIII) on the “Dumping of Nuclear and Industrial Wastes in Africa”,
Aware of the efforts of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme towards the adoption of a global convention for the control of transboundary movement of non-nuclear aspects of hazardous wastes, within the framework of an Ad Hoc working group of experts established for that purpose,
Recognizing that the Ad-Hoc working group of experts has held many sessions, culminating in the Luxembourg meeting, 30 January to 3 February, 1989,
Aware also that the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Committee of Disarmament are currently considering the transboundary movement of nuclear aspects of hazardous wastes within their sphere of competence,
Noting that the Ad Hoc working group of experts has now completed the preparation of a draft global convention for the control of transboundary movement of hazardous wastes which will be adopted at the diplomatic conference at Basel, Switzerland, 13 – 17 March, 1989,
Recalling the disagreement that arose between African and European countries during the Euro-African Conference on Cross Border Movement of hazardous wastes which met in Dakar on 26 and 27 January 1989 and the desire
unanimously expressed by African countries attending the said meeting to discuss Resolution AM/Res.1153 (XLVIII) with a view to setting out Africa’s strategy during the Basel Meeting scheduled for 20 to 22 March, 1989,
Concerned that the draft Global Convention for the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes is merely aimed at the regulation or control, rather than the prohibitation, of transboundary movement of hazardous wastes, contrary to the spirit of Council Resolution CM/Res.1153 (XLVIII) which determined that dumping of hazardous wastes is a crime against Africa and the African people,
Concerned also about the inadequacy of the provision for the monitoring mechanism “dump watch” for all transboundary movements of hazardous wastes, especially into Africa:
NOTES that the narrow scope of the draft Convention still permits the illegal export of hazardous wastes from the country of generation, especially into Africa, without adequate provision for technical and financial support for their safe and environmentally sound disposal in the importing states;
CALLS UPON all African countries to reach agreement urgently on a common African position for ameliorating the inad equacies contained in the draft Convention, and to ensure that their solidarity is not disrupted until the draft Convention is adopted;
REQUESTS the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity, in consultation with the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, to ensure that Africa is adequately represented on the drafting group of legal experts to review the draft global convention before its adoption;
CALLS ALSO UPON all Member States to participate fully, at the appropriate level, at the diplomatic conference to be held at Basel, Switzerland, from 20 – 22 March, 1989,
REQUESTS also the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity to report to the Council of Ministers at its Fiftieth Session, on the implementation of this resolution.