Speech delivered at the Joint BRS-Minimata Workshop in Bratislava
Mr. Vojtech
Ferencz, State Secretary, Ministry of Environment,
Mr. Dusan
Jurik, Director, Directorate of Environmental Assessment and Management,
Mr. Martin
Vavrinek, Director General, Slovak Environment Agency,
Mr. Martin
Lakanda, Director, Section of Environmental Science and Project Management,
Mr. Lajos Szabo, National Programme
Officer, Embassy of Switzerland for Slovakia,
Ms. Dana Lapesová, Director, Basel
Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for Central
Europe in Bratislava,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to join my
distinguished colleagues in welcoming you to the Central and Eastern European and
Central Asian Regional Preparatory meeting for the Basel, Rotterdam and
Stockholm Conventions 2015 COPs and the Regional Workshop in support of the
ratification and effective implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
Besides being a historical event for
the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, the regional preparatory
meetings are intended to provide you as Parties with the opportunity to better prepare
for the upcoming COPs. Therefore, I would like to take a moment to reflect on
the importance these meetings hold in the wider chemicals and waste agenda.
First and foremost, by holding these
meetings together we are further strengthening the implementation of the three
conventions and creating the momentum required to move towards ratification of
the Minamata Convention. This comes at a critical time as parties have asked
for a review of the synergies arrangements.
Negotiating and adopting a convention
is by no means an easy task and should be celebrated, however ratification and
implementation is where the real work actually lies. This is where we bring together professionals
from around the world to perform the work of a secretariat, which in response
to the needs of the parties, puts in place mechanisms, measures and programmes
to support parties in meeting their obligations under the conventions. Indeed
one of the most debated decisions of a conference of the parties is finance and
budget – we all want smaller and more efficient secretariats and we all want
more action on the ground, because this is where we can make a real difference.
Having a joint secretariat implies
that our staff today are geared to deliver a wide range of services from
conference services, to scientific support, to technical assistance which
covers the needs of parties and also seeks to take into consideration the sound
management of chemicals and wastes, the life cycle approach, and most
importantly its contribution to alleviating poverty and the post-2015 agenda. It
is imperative that we never lose sight of the many benefits environmentally
sound chemicals bring to our communities, economies and countries, nor the
significant opportunities of integrated waste management. Therefore, the
identification of possible areas for synergies and most importantly partnerships
at the global, regional and national levels is critical for progress towards
this goal. As we move towards our triple COPs in May, I am confident we can
further explore those opportunities under these synergies arrangements.
During the two days dedicated to the
BRS regional preparatory meeting this week, our aim is to bring you up to speed
with the preparations for the upcoming triple COPs.
Responding to the back-to-back nature
of the BRS COPs in 2013, Parties requested assistance from the Secretariat in organizing
meetings to assist regional preparatory processes. I am delighted to say that thanks to the
generosity of our donors, we have managed to organize regional preparatory
meetings in the Asia/Pacific, Africa, CEE and GRULAC regions. It is my belief that these meetings will
contribute immensely to the success of the conferences of the parties in 2015
by giving regions the opportunity to consult each other in advance of the
meetings, consider meeting documents, discuss substantive matters, identify regional
priorities and challenges, and facilitate the preparation of regional
positions. The Secretariat will be here
to assist you in your deliberations and clarify any issues you may have.
This is the third regional
preparatory meeting organized by the Secretariat, having held similar meetings
in the Asia-Pacific and African regions in previous weeks. As already indicated, these meetings are
designed to facilitate Parties’ preparations and collaboration in advance of
the 2015 COPs. Additionally, they have given both myself and the Secretariat a
first-hand insight into the main challenges and strengths of each region. The Central and Eastern European and Central
Asian regions are characterized by countries that have different capacities to
deal with chemicals and waste management including those that are EU member States.
The structure of the economies in the region has changed significantly since
the early 1990s. The share of the service industry sector now exceeds 50% in
all economies in the Eastern European and South-east European sub groups. The
agricultural sector has stagnated or declined in most countries and consequently,
its share of GDP has shrunk throughout the region. Industry has enjoyed growth
in almost all countries since 1995. However, industrial growth in many
countries has been predominantly due to the exploration for and processing of
fossil fuels, metals and minerals, often, it appears, at the expense of less
energy- and resource-intensive manufacturing and light industry.
Total waste generation in countries
in Eastern and Southern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia is high, mostly
because of large-scale resource extraction and processing. Total waste
generation per capita in EECCA is 14 tonnes per year compared with 4 tonnes in
the EU. There appear to be huge differences between individual countries in
total waste generation. Significant amounts of hazardous waste are generated,
but there are difficulties in ensuring that this waste is managed in an
environmentally sound manner.
Added to these challenges are issues
of obsolete pesticide stockpiles, with the management of certain waste
fractions including e-waste and medical waste, and with contaminated sites.
With these issues in mind, a joint
session of the Minamata Workshop and the regional preparatory meeting will be
held this week to delve deeper into issues of mutual concern related to the
Conventions, including the integrated approach to financing chemicals and waste
which formed the cornerstone of UNEA decision 1/5 on chemicals and waste, the
special programme to support institutional strengthening at the national level,
and access to financing through GEF.
In addition, to ensure a much closer
relationship between the secretariat and parties, I am also organizing on the
side a number of bilaterals. High on the agenda during these meetings will be
discussions on both the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing
the Conventions in the region, with a particular focus on the importance of
national synergies in improving the effectiveness of the Conventions.
There will also be ample time to
share views and experiences during the lunch and coffee breaks and the evening
reception that the Government of Switzerland is kindly hosting.
Distinguished delegates, I would like
to bring my remarks to a close with some congratulatory words. Despite the challenges you face in the region,
you have clearly shown your commitment in implementing the Conventions. Nearly half of the Parties in the Central and
Eastern European and Central Asian regions have ratified the Ban Amendment, 8
of whom count towards the global entry into force of the Ban Amendment. Whilst there seem to be challenges faced in
this region with respect to the submission of national reports under the Basel
Convention, you have a higher than global average track record of reporting
under the Stockholm Convention. Added to
this is your success in submitting National Implementation Plans under the
Stockholm Convention, and may I take the opportunity to encourage those that
have not done so to signal your interest to GEF for the review and update of
these plans. You also have some of the
best regional centres here in CEE that continue to undertake excellent work in
support of the Parties in the region.
There is a lot more to be done, but I believe we have the right building
blocks to implement the sound management of chemicals and wastes.
Ladies
and gentlemen, it only remains for me to say that it is an honour to represent the
Secretariat here today, in partnership with my esteemed colleagues from the host
government, Slovakia, as well as the Interim Secretariat of the Minamata
Convention and the Regional Centres. I express my profound thanks to the
Government of Switzerland and the European Union for making available the
funding to allow these meetings to take place globally, and I look forward to supporting you all in your
work this week.
