Introduction of BCRC China
Basel Convention Regional Centre for the Asia and Pacific Region (BCRC China) was established in 1997 according to the decision of the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. BCRC China is one of the fourteen regional and coordinating centres (BCRCs) globally. In May 2009, BCRC China had been endorsed as the Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for Capacity-building and the Transfer of Technology by the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, and became one of sixteen Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres. On May 20th 2011, approved by the State Council, Mr. Zhou Shengxian, Minister of Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China, on behalf of the Government of the People's Republic of China, and Ms. Katharina Kummer Peiry, the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Basel Convention on behalf of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, signed Framework Agreement on the Establishment of a Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Asia and Pacific Region (hereinafter referred as "Framework Agreement"). Framework Agreement provides the procedures of BCRC China's independent operation, tax exemption, privileges and immunities. BCRC China has the dual responsibility of promoting compliance with the Basel and Stockholm Conventions in the region and assisting developing countries and countries in transition within the region in achieving the objectives of both Conventions. Its core functions include training, technology transfer, information provision, advisory services, and awareness-raising activities. BCRC China was granted authorization to use the Basel Convention logo and the UNEP logo in 2009 and 2011, respectively.
In November 2010, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Tsinghua University jointly signed the "Cooperation Agreement on National Hazardous Waste Management Training and Strategic Research". BCRC China serves as the main implementing unit for this agreement, carrying out nationwide hazardous waste management training and conducting research on hazardous waste management strategies and policies. The goal is to enhance China's hazardous waste management capabilities and research level in management strategies. In August 2012, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Tsinghua University signed an agreement on the construction and management of the "Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for Asian" and the Pacific", in order to implement the relevant provisions of the "Framework Agreement" and ensure the normal operation of BCRC China. According to the "Framework Agreement," BCRC China established a Steering Committee in 2014, composed of representatives nominated by the official focal points of the four BCRC China-servicing countries under the Basel Convention. The committee's responsibilities include providing advice on the planning and implementation of activities related to the Centre's regional functions, as well as comprehensive oversight of BCRC China's operations. On October 24, 2016, the second meeting of the BCRC China Steering Committee was held at Tsinghua University, with national representatives from China, Cambodia, Laos, and Mongolia attending as committee members. They reviewed and approved the BCRC China strategic plan for the period 2017-2030.
After more than 20 years of development, BCRC China has gradually formed strengths in policy and technological research on chemicals and waste management, capacity building, and information exchange. It has a team of over 30 full-time staff members, including professionals with doctoral or master's degrees, as well as a part-time technical team composed of dozens of professors and experts. Through the unremitting efforts of all personnel, BCRC China's international influence has been steadily increasing. In November 2009, BCRC China became one of the initiating organizations for the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Forum in the Asian region. In May 2010, BCRC China was approved as the Northeast Asia regional focal point for the "Solving the E-waste Problem (StEP)" initiative launched by the United Nations University. In April 2015, BCRC China was authorized as the sub-regional secretariat for the United Nations Regional Development Centre IPLA in East Asia. In 2016, the China Environmental Science Society Circular Economy Branch was established as a supporting unit. Since 2016, BCRC China has signed strategic cooperation agreements with more than ten institutions and local governments, including the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme, to jointly promote the implementation of regional conventions in the Asia-Pacific region.
In 2013, during the 11 th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention and the 6th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention, it was decided that starting from the Conference of the Parties in 2015, regional centers would undergo performance and sustainability assessments every four years. During the joint meeting of the three conventions' Parties in 2019, BCRC China received a perfect score of 100 in the assessments for both conventions (only two Basel Convention regional centers and four Stockholm Convention regional centers worldwide achieved a perfect score). BCRC China became the only regional center in the world to receive a perfect score in assessments for both conventions consecutively in the periods of 2011-2014 and 2015-2018. During the joint meeting of the three conventions' Parties in 2023, BCRC China once again received a perfect score of 100 in the assessments for both conventions, making it the only regional center in the world to receive a perfect score in assessments for both conventions in all the assessment periods (2013-2014, 2015-2018, and 2019-2022).
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