Supporting Multilateral Environmental Agreements on chemicals and waste with scientific evidence

The Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) play a fundamental role in achieving sound management of chemicals and waste at the global level. To support informed policymaking and effective implementation of the MEAs, different scientific evidence is needed. This project will analyse and translate these policy needs into a scientific research agenda accessible through an online tracker.

Background

The MEAs including the Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm (BRS), and Minamata Conventions have grown increasingly complex over time. Policy needs for specific scientific information are often scattered over new provisions and decisions. While clearing-house mechanisms have been developed under the MEAs, it is often still challenging for scientists to capture, keep up with and understand specific policy needs under the MEAs. This is because the clearing-house mechanisms have different focuses and target audience. An additional step is often needed to digest and translate policy needs under the MEAs into specific scientific questions. Consequently, despite vast interest, scientists increasingly cannot generate the required scientific evidence in a timely manner if at all.

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Aim

This project aims to foster engagement of the scientific community to support informed policymaking and effective implementation of the MEAs.

To do so, it will build a user-friendly online trackers to monitor and present policy needs to the scientific community (stage 1) and make scientific information available to policymakers (stage 2).

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Impact

The project envisions two main impacts:

1. The scientific community will be able to plan research and produce relevant evidence in a timely and coordinated manner in support of the MEAs.
2. MEAs-related policy and implementation actors will be able to base increasingly their decisions on sound evidence and design more effective policies.

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Key Activities

1. Detailed review of the provisions and decisions under the BRS Conventions – with the participation of key stakeholders and leading scientists in the relevant fields.
2. Identification of needs for scientific information, and translation into specific scientific questions.
3. Creation of a user-friendly online tracker to make these results available, using an iterative multi-stakeholder approach.
4. Launch and promotion of the platform to the wider scientific community.
5. If this pilot is successful, more MEAs will be covered by the tracker in future phases.

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Project updates

• Multistakeholder consultation, 20 January 2021
• Article featured in Science: We need a global science-policy body on chemicals and waste, 19 February 2021
• Article featured in Geneva Solutions: International Geneva, a hub for environmental governance?, 11 June 2021
• Publication of a policy analysis: Enhancing Scientific Support for the Stockholm Convention’s Implementation: An Analysis of Policy Needs for Scientific Evidence in ACS Publications, 15 February 2022
• GSPI update: Building support for a new science-policy interface on chemicals & waste management, 1 March 2022
• Article published in Environmental Science & Technology: Six Recommendations for Early Career Professionals to Join Work at the Science–Policy Interface: Collective Experience from Academic, Governmental, and NGO Scientists, 20 December 2022
• Webinar series co-organized by the Secretariat of the OEWG and the Geneva Environment Network: Road to OEWG 2 | Science-Policy Panel to Contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution, 5 April 2023
• Article published in the Environmental Technology Letters: Major International Negotiations on Chemicals and Waste for Researchers from All Disciplines to Watch for in 2023, 10 April 2023
• Article published in Nature Sustainability journal: Continuing large-scale global trade and illegal trade of highly hazardous chemicals, 10 July 2023