El Convenio de Minamata da la bienvenida al Panel Científico-Político como socio clave en la lucha contra la contaminación

In a strong call to action at the 2025 meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions (BRS), leaders from the global chemicals and waste governance community reiterated their commitment to strengthening the science-policy interface through the establishment of a new intergovernmental panel.

Held in Geneva on 29 April as part of the "Road to OEWG 3.2" series, the high-level side event gathered senior officials and experts to discuss the establishment of a science-policy panel dedicated to the sound management of chemicals and waste and the prevention of pollution. The event featured opening remarks from UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen and BRS Executive Secretary Rolph Payet.

"Establishing this science-policy panel really matters. It opens a deep horizon on chemicals, wastes and pollution. It can drive much more coordinated and science-based decision-making. The BRS Conventions and the Minamata Convention can feed into this process, both through their COPs and programmatic work," said Andersen.

Reflecting on possible connections between the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the future panel, Minamata Convention Executive Secretary Monika Stankiewicz expressed firm support for the panel as an essential partner in its ongoing mission to combat mercury pollution: "We look forward to the establishment of the Science-Policy Panel to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution as an important future partner in supporting policy-making under the Minamata Convention on Mercury," she said. "We hope the upcoming meeting will successfully establish the panel, enabling timely and close cooperation as we prepare for our next meeting of the Conference of the Parties in November. Strengthening the science-policy interface is essential to making the invisible impacts of chemicals and waste visible and accelerating global action against pollution, " Stankiewicz added.

The event brought together a group of experts and senior officials, including Tessa Goverse, Principal Coordinator of the OEWG secretariat; Peter Dawson, Chair of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee in New Zealand; Alberto Maluf, National Secretary of Urban Environment and Environmental Quality in Brazil; Gudi Alkemade, Chair of the ad hoc OEWG, and Andrew Jackson, Economic Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations & WTO.

The upcoming resumed third session of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG), scheduled for 15–18 June 2025 in Punta del Este, Uruguay, is expected to be a critical step toward formalizing the panel. Once established, it will serve as an authoritative body to provide policy-relevant scientific advice to multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), governments, and stakeholders, including academia, civil society, and the private sector.

The event was co-organized by the Secretariat of the ad hoc OEWG, the BRS Conventions, the United Kingdom, and the Geneva Environment Network.

The video recording is available on the side event web page.