Why we need the Waigani Convention

Asterio Takesy
At the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), we have a vision: a Pacific region in which human health and the environment are no longer threatened by harmful toxic and hazardous chemicals.

In our region, waste volumes are rising with our economic growth. Moreover, the waste generated is increasing in its toxicity and non-biodegradability as we leave our traditional lifestyles and reliance on natural materials behind.

Unfortunately, as we all know too well, waste is not a problem that we can fix once and for all. We must manage it and its negative impacts day-in and day-out.

Pollution from the mismanagement of waste is one of the major threats to sustainable development in the region. The impact of hazardous chemicals and wastes is heightened with the limited land area and lack of appropriate technology in many of the Pacific islands countries and territories.

The environment underpins life in our communities linking political, social and economic factors.

We are protected from the movement of toxic waste into our Pacific region by the Waigani Convention, which prevents our region from becoming an international waste dump. Its importance to the region must be stressed, as this is the means that stops ships from using the Pacific as a highway for hazardous waste. It also provides a regional mechanism to facilitate the clean-up of hazardous and radioactive wastes in our Pacific nations.

The Waigani Convention came into force on October 21, 2001, so it is still a fairly young arrangement that the Pacific continues to perfect. It is a regional mirror to the globally oriented Basel Convention on Toxic Wastes. Since Waigani is limited to the Pacific region, Pacific islands countries have a greater say in how the convention evolves.

The scope of the convention is wide. It covers toxic, poisonous, explosive, corrosive, flammable, eco-toxic, infectious and radioactive wastes. However, this also means that much work needs to be done in order to fulfill the purpose of this convention by effectively managing all these wastes.

Through the Waigani Convention, the Pacific will reduce and eliminate trans-boundary movements of hazardous and radioactive wastes into and within the Pacific Islands Forum region. Under the convention, the production of hazardous and toxic wastes in the Forum region is to be minimised and the disposal of wastes to be done in an environmentally sound manner and as close to the sources as possible.

The Pacific will need to band together through the Waigani Convention to stop hazardous and radioactive wastes from entering our region and being dumped in our nations.

Our families and local communities can rest more easily knowing that we have a reduced chance of facing a potential hazardous and nuclear waste disaster.

We can feel secure in the knowledge that any hazardous wastes being shipped are administered under strict international guidelines and protocols.

The unrelenting nature of waste often seems insurmountable, but surmount it we must, lest we be buried by it. For this, like many environmental issues, no one group, approach or action in isolation can reach the goal. Only through partnerships and synergistic approaches can we successfully manage hazardous chemicals and wastes.

Therefore, we must rely on our tradition in the Pacific of working in unity and cooperation to address hazardous waste issues. Everything is linked within our Pacific lifestyles, so actions to deal with the pressure on our environment must be comprehensive by necessity. It is because of this, that all sectors and our communities must work hand-in-hand on a continuous basis.

In this context, I call upon countries in the region that are not yet a party to our regional convention to seriously consider ratifying and thereby become part of the emerging initiatives that are currently being developed as part of the implementation of the Waigani Convention.

The different players that deal with toxic and hazardous wastes management are to be recognised and congratulated for their work.

It is important that their differing approaches are coordinated so that each knows what the other is doing at both the national and regional levels.

SPREP, on the collective behalf of the Pacific, is working to make sure this happens. We have established partnerships and collaborative initiatives with the different organisations in the region actively working to lessen the burden of hazardous, chemical and toxic wastes around the world.

We continue to nurture our relationships with Pacific islands countries and territories to assist in developing the capacity of each country to manage their wastes in an environmentally sound manner. A coordinated approach will help address the hazardous waste issues in a holistic manner.

This month our global community will celebrate the World Environment Day. Let us take stock of our efforts to-date and think how we can work together to meet our vision—a Pacific region in which human health and the environment are no longer threatened by harmful toxic and hazardous chemicals.