Basel Convention

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal is the most comprehensive global environmental agreement on hazardous and other wastes. The Convention has 170 Parties and aims to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects resulting from the generation, management, transboundary movements and disposal of hazardous and other wastes. The Basel Convention came into force in 1992 and India is one of the several countries to ratify the Convention in June 1992.

Baalu led the Indian delegation to the fifth meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP 5) held at Basel (Switzerland) from 6-10 December 1999. Under his leadership, India played a lead role in the COP towards adopting the Basel Declaration on Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous Wastes and a Protocol on Liability and Compensation.