Cooperative measures to assess and increase awareness
of environmental effects related to waste originating
from chemical munitions dumped at sea
A/RES/74/213
of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, 9 the Convention on the Prevention
of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 10 the Convention for
the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean
Region, 11 the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the
Coastal Region of the Mediterranean, 12 the Agreement on the Protection of the Marine
Environment and the Coastal Area of the South-East Pacific, 13 the Convention on the
Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area 14 and the Convention
for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, 15
Noting the national, regional and international activities, including scientific
research, 16 data collection and sharing, awareness-raising, reporting on encounters
and technical advice, related to munitions dumped at sea, inter alia, in the frameworks
of the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by D umping of Wastes and
Other Matter, the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the
North-East Atlantic, the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment
and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and the Convention on the Pro tection of
the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area,
Emphasizing that, in the report on the Third Special Session of the Conference of
the States Parties to Review the Operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (the
Third Review Conference), adopted at The Hague on 19 April 2013, the States parties
to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling
and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction were invited to support
voluntary sharing of information, raising awareness and cooperation on this issue,
Noting that Member States, international and regional organizations and civil
society have undertaken activities to discuss and promote the issues related to waste
originating from chemical munitions dumped at sea, inc luding international
cooperation and the exchange of experiences and practical knowledge,
Noting also that the First Global Integrated Marine Assessment (first World
Ocean Assessment), adopted in 2015, also highlights the issue of marine pollution,
including from dumping, and has been taken into account by the General Assembly,
in its resolutions 70/235 of 23 December 2015, 71/257 of 23 December 2016, 72/73
of 5 December 2017 and 73/124 of 11 December 2018,
Noting further the concerns about the potential long-term environmental effects
related to waste originating from chemical munitions dumped at sea, including their
potential impact on human health and safety and on the marine environment and
resources,
Recognizing the mandates and capacities of competent United Nations system
entities in the fields of marine environment monitoring, research and information sharing, as well as pollution preparedness and response, 17
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11
12
13
14
15
16
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19-22426
Ibid., vol. 1974, No. 33757.
Ibid., vol. 1046, No. 15749.
Ibid., vol. 1506, No. 25974.
Ibid., vol. 1102, No. 16908.
Ibid., vol. 1648, No. 28325.
Ibid., vol. 2099, No. 36495.
Ibid., vol. 2354, No. 42279.
See, for example, the findings of the Baltic Sea research project entitled “Chemical Munitions,
Search and Assessment (CHEMSEA)”, which is conducting research on environmental effects
related to chemical munitions dumped at sea. The findings summarize all results obtained by the
project.
Competent United Nations system entities include, inter alia, the United Nations Environment
Programme, the International Maritime Organization, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission and the Secretariat.
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