Noting the priority areas for action recognized in decision SC-8/18 on effectiveness evaluation as they relate to technical assistance and the recommendations contained in the report on the overall review of the synergies arrangements,11UNEP/CHW.13/INF/43-UNEP/FAO/RC/COP.8/INF/29-UNEP/POPS/COP.8/INF/46.1.Requests the Secretariat to continue to collect, through the database established for that purpose, information on the technical assistance and capacity-building needs of developing-country Parties and Parties with economies in transition;2.Welcomes the technical assistance plan for the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions for the period 2018–20212 and requests the Secretariat, subject to the availability of resources, to implement it in cooperation with relevant actors striving to attract the programming capacity and financial resources of relevant international organizations;2UNEP/CHW.13/INF/36-UNEP/FAO/RC/COP.8/INF/26-UNEP/POPS/COP.8/INF/25.3.Encourages Parties, regional centres and others:(a)To make financial or in-kind contributions to facilitate the availability of capacity-development materials and activities in appropriate official regional languages;(b)To undertake capacity-building activities in official local languages, as appropriate;4.Requests the Secretariat in collaboration with other international organizations to explore additional ways of facilitating North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation in its technical assistance plan referred to in paragraph 2 above;5.Emphasizes the role of the regional centres, as set out in the provisions of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, as well as the regional, subregional and country offices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Programme and other participating organizations of the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals, in delivering, upon request, technical assistance at the regional level for the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions and in facilitating technology transfer to eligible Parties;6.Welcomes the United Nations Environment Assembly resolution highlighting the role of the regional centres of the Basel and Stockholm conventions in assisting the regions in the implementation of the two conventions and in other relevant work relating to the multilateral environmental agreements in the chemicals and waste cluster in the countries they serve;33See United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 2/7 on the sound management of chemicals and waste.7.Requests the Secretariat to prepare a report for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its next meeting on the implementation of the technical assistance plan for the period 2018–2021, including, as appropriate, adjustments to the plan;
II – Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres for capacity-building and the transfer of technology
8.Takes note of:(a)The workplans for the period from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 20194 and activity reports for the period from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 20165 submitted by the Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres;4Available at http://chm.pops.int/Partners/RegionalCentres/Workplans/tabid/482/Default.aspx.5Available at http://chm.pops.int/Partners/RegionalCentres/ActivitiesReports/tabid/4112/Default.aspx.(b)The reports on activities submitted by the regional and subregional centres;66See UNEP/CHW.13/INF/29/Rev.1-UNEP/POPS/COP.8/INF/26/Rev.1.(c)The report on the activities of the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres and the Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres;77Ibid.9.Requests the Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres to submit to the Secretariat for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its ninth meeting:(a)Their workplans for the period from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 by 30 September 2019;(b)Their activity reports for the period from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2018 by 31 December 2018;10.Requests the Secretariat to prepare a report on the activities of the Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres, including on technology transfer, for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its ninth meeting;11.Takes note of the information provided by the Secretariat pertaining to the nomination and endorsement of regional centres;88See UNEP/POPS/COP.8/16/Rev.1.12.Encourages interested regional and subregional centres to work, under the Convention, on the impact of plastic waste, marine plastic litter, microplastics and measures for their prevention and environmentally sound management and requests the Secretariat to reflect any such work in the report prepared pursuant to paragraph 10 above;13.Invites Parties, observers and financial institutions in a position to do so to provide financial support to enable Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres to implement their workplans with the aim of supporting Parties in their efforts to meet their obligations under the Convention;14.Encourages Parties, observers and financial institutions to enhance communication with the Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres;
III – Secretariat report
15.Requests the Secretariat to report to the Conference of the Parties at its ninth meeting on the implementation of the present decision.