27 March 2024
Subject: Contribution of the chemicals and waste conventions to Target 7 of the
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
Dear National Focal Points,
I am pleased to announce that the Secretariats of the Minamata Convention on Mercury and of
the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions are organizing an online information session
on the contribution of the chemicals and waste conventions to Target 7 of the
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
As you may be aware, in December 2023, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity
Framework was adopted by the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in decision 15/14. The GBF sets out an ambitious
pathway to reach the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. Target 7
of the GBF is related to pollution from all sources and aims to:
“Reduce pollution risks and the negative impact of pollution from all sources, by 2030, to
levels that are not harmful to biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services,
considering cumulative effects, including: (a) by reducing excess nutrients lost to the
environment by at least half, including through more efficient nutrient cycling and use;
(b) by reducing the overall risk from pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals by at
least half, including through integrated pest management, based on science, taking into
account food security and livelihoods; and (c) by preventing, reducing, and working
towards eliminating plastic pollution.”
Along with the GBF, COP-15 to the CBD adopted a monitoring framework for the GBF
in decision 15/5. The GBF monitoring framework is comprised of a set of agreed indicators
for tracking progress towards the goals and targets of the GBF. Under Target 7, the agreed
indicators in the monitoring framework are aimed at measuring agricultural fertilizers,
pesticides, plastic and hazardous waste.
Furthermore, in the same decision, COP-15 requested the Subsidiary Body on Scientific,
Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) to complete the scientific and technical review of
the monitoring framework and decided to consider the requirements for further work to fully
implement and review the effectiveness of the monitoring framework for the GBF at its
sixteenth meeting. Accordingly, SBSTTA is expected to consider revisions to the GBF
monitoring framework at its twenty-sixth meeting (SBSTTA-26), which will take place
from 13 to 18 May 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya, and to make recommendations to COP -16 to
the CBD in this regard.
Secretariat of the Minamata Convention on Mercury
International Environment House 1
Office address: 11-13 chemin des Anémones, 1219 Châtelaine, Geneva, Switzerland
Postal address: Avenue de la Paix 8-14, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
[email protected] | www.mercuryconvention.org | www.unep.org
The Secretariats of the Minamata Convention and of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm
Conventions prepared an initial joint study entitled “Interlinkages between the chemicals and
waste multilateral environmental agreements and biodiversity: key insights”. Further, the
Secretariat of the Minamata Convention prepared a report titled “Mercury and Biodiversity”
highlighting opportunities for generating co-benefits through coherent implementation of the
Minamata Convention and the GBF. These reports identified areas of convergence between
chemicals and waste management and biodiversity, and the need to address the challenges in a
manner that better reflects nature’s interconnectedness.
The Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, in its decision MC-5/17,
welcomed the adoption of the GBF by the CBD COP and requested the Secretariat to prepare a
draft road map, including possible actions and indicators, to support Parties in demonstrating
and maximizing the co-benefits arising from the implementation of the Minamata Convention
and the GBF. In the same decision, the Minamata Convention COP noted the absence of
indicators regarding the overall risk from highly hazardous chemicals in the monitoring
framework for the GBF, and invited the CBD COP to consider additional indicators, under target
7, to cover highly hazardous chemicals and mercury.
The Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, in their
decisions BC-16/22, RC-11/9 and SC-11/21 on international cooperation and coordination
with other organizations, welcomed the adoption of the GBF by the CBD COP. In those
decisions, the COPs reiterated their call to Parties to take into account the objectives of the GBF
in their actions to implement the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions and requested
the Secretariat to prepare, subject to the availability of resources, a report, including possible
recommendations, on how the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions could contribute
to the implementation of the 2030 Targets and 2050 Goals of the GBF, for consideration by the
COPs at their meetings in 2025.
With a view to facilitating an exchange among National Focal Points to the biodiversity and
chemicals and waste MEAs clusters, the Secretariats of the Minamata Convention and BRS
Conventions are convening an online information session to discuss how the chemicals and
waste Conventions can contribute to the GBF, including how Parties are incorporating control
measures for highly hazardous chemicals in their revised National Biodiversity Strategies and
Action Plans, as well as to consider the need for additional indicators related to highly
hazardous chemicals, which are not yet covered by the agreed indicators in the monitoring
framework for the GBF, and existing processes for gathering global data for tracking progress
towards Target 7.
As a National Focal Point, you are invited to participate in the information session
“Contribution of the Chemicals and Waste Conventions to Target 7 of the Kunming-Montreal
Global Biodiversity Framework” to take place online on 18 April 2024 from 13:00 to 15:00
GMT+2. A tentative programme for the information session can be found in the annex below.
Please visit the event’s website to pre-register and for the latest updates.
Furthermore, to facilitate exchange across the biodiversity and chemicals and waste clusters,
you may wish to consider extending this invitation to your country’s National Focal Points to
SBSTTA and/or the CBD, whose contact details are available through the CBD website, and
other government officials who may benefit from the exchange of information.
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Should you have any questions or suggestions about the information session, please email to
Minamata Convention Secretariat (
[email protected]) or BRS Conventions
Secretariat (Agustín Harte at
[email protected]).
We take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support to the implementation of the
Conventions and look forward to your participation in the information session.
Yours sincerely,
Monika Stankiewicz Rolph Payet
Executive Secretary, Minamata Convention Executive Secretary, Basel, Rotterdam and
Stockholm Conventions
To: National Focal Points to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Basel Convention on the
Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, the Rotterdam
Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides
in International Trade and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Cc: Permanent Missions to the United Nations Office in Geneva
Permanent Representatives to the United Nations Environment Programme
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Annex Information session:
Contribution of the Chemicals and Waste Conventions
to Target 7 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
18 April 2024, 13:00-15:00 GMT+2
Pre-registration through the event’s website
Tentative programme
(last revised on 27 March 2024)
Moderator: Manoela Pessoa de Miranda, Secretariat of the Minamata Convention on Mercury
Opening Remarks • Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary,
Minamata Convention
• Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, Basel,
Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
• David Cooper, Executive Secretary,
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Snapshot Presentations
Agreed monitoring headline and component • Monica Kobayashi, Programme Officer, CBD
indicators under Target 7 and associated Secretariat
methodologies
Trends in mercury emissions and levels in • Terry Keating, Co-Chair of the Open-ended
the environment and humans Scientific Group under the Minamata
Convention
Trends in POPs levels in the environment and • Katerina Sebkova, Member of the Global
humans Monitoring Plan on Persistent Organic
Pollutants under the Stockholm
Convention, RECETOX
HFCs levels in the environment • TBD
Panel Discussion
National experiences to integrate the • Brazil
chemicals and waste agenda in the • Canada
implementation of the Kunming-Montreal • Uganda
Global Biodiversity Framework • TBD
Questions and Answers
Closing Remarks
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Saatja: BRS Secretariat (No-Reply) <
[email protected]>
Saadetud: 08.04.2024 13:11
Teema: Contribution of the chemicals and waste conventions to Target 7 of
the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework – online session
Dear Focal Points to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions,
Please find attached a letter from our Executive Secretary, Mr. Rolph
Payet, on the invitation to an online information session on the
contribution of the chemicals and waste conventions to Target 7 of the
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) organized jointly by
the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions and the Minamata
Convention on mercury.
The online session will take place 18 April 2024 from 13:00 to 15:00
(GMT+2) and will be held in English. Please click to register.
Further information on the Interlinkages between the Basel, Rotterdam and
Stockholm Conventions and other Multilateral Environmental Agreements can
be found in the BRS conventions .
Looking forward to your participation and active engagement.
Kind regards,
Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions