The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) is the Pacific Regional Centre for the Joint Implementation of the Basel and Waigani Conventions. The objective of the Waigani Convention, adopted in 2001, is to reduce and eliminate transboundary movements of hazardous and radioactive wastes, minimize the production of hazardous and toxic wastes in the Pacific region, and ensure that disposal of wastes in the Convention area is completed in an environmentally sound manner.

 

 

The Waigani Convention:

  • Includes each Party’s Exclusive Economic Zone (200 nautical miles) rather than extending only to the outer boundary of each Party’s territorial sea (12 nautical miles) as under the Basel Convention;
  • Is strongly related to the 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (the London Convention). 

There has also been investment in improving waste management under the Waigani Convention through Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded work on reducing the unintentional release of persistent organic pollutants (UPOPs) and the European Union funded PacWaste projects.

Date
Geographical coverage
Regional
Regulatory Approach
Bans and restrictions
Keywords
Waste, Toxic waste, Pollution of the marine environment, Dumping, Waste management, Pollutants