International Intervensions

Dr. Shahriar Hossain, Senior Technical Advisor, ESDO

Advancing Sustainable Textiles: Addressing Hazardous Chemicals and Protecting Communities at BRS COPs 2025

On 4 May 2025, the Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO) Bangladesh, in partnership with UNEP, GRID-Arendal, the BRS Conventions Secretariat, and the Basel Convention Plastic Waste Partnership, organized a critical side event titled “Advancing Global Action for Sustainable Textiles: Addressing Hazardous Chemicals Across the Textile Lifecycle” during the BRS COPs. The event took place...

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Siddika Sultana, ED, ESDO at BRS COPs 2025

Addressing Textile Waste- A Call for Basel Convention Amendment

Siddika Sultana, Executive Director of ESDO, delivered this critical presentation at the 2025 Conferences of the Parties (COPs) to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions during a side event focused on chemical and waste management challenges. Her intervention highlighted the urgent need to address textile waste through amendments to...

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BRS COPs 2025 Side Event: Advancing a Rights-Based Approach and Environmental Justice Through the BRS Conventions

At Advancing a Rights-Based Approach and Environmental Justice Through the BRS Conventions, ESDO’s Executive Director Siddika Sultana highlighted how the Basel, Rotterdam & Stockholm Conventions are transforming environmental protection into a matter of human rights. Why this matters: 1. Protecting vulnerable communities from toxic pollution 2. Empowering nations through Prior...

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Empowering Environmental Sustainability: ESDO’s Role in Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs)

Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions The Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions are three major international environmental treaties designed to regulate hazardous chemicals and waste, ensuring their safe management and disposal to protect human health and the environment. These conventions operate under a shared framework, aiming to reduce the risks...

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INC-5: ESDO’s Role in Shaping the Future of the Global Plastics Treaty

The Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) for the Global Plastics Treaty, held in December 2024, marked a significant step forward in the global effort to tackle plastic pollution. Delegates, policymakers, experts, and civil society organizations gathered to negotiate the details of an ambitious treaty that aims to...

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ESDO’s Contributions and Key Takeaways from COP 29

The 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, 2024, addressed critical concerns such as methane emissions, climate financing, loss and damage, and nature-based solutions. Its primary purpose was to accelerate the Paris Agreement’s implementation. The conference emphasized the role of non-state actors...

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ESDO’s contribution to COP29: Community-Led Methane Solutions

The Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO) was a key player at COP29 with a focus on community-led approaches to methane mitigation and a fair transition. ESDO promotes a fair and sustainable future by highlighting effective tactics from various geographical areas and pushing for legislative improvements. The Environment and Social...

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Vietnam’s Major Step Towards Mercury-Free Dentistry!

Vietnam has reaffirmed its commitment to a healthier future by advancing the phase-out of dental amalgam, a mercury-containing material used in dental fillings. On September 10, 2024, key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Health, announced a historic decision: By June 2025, all mercury-containing...

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Risks of Chemical Recycling: Insights from Siddika Sultana at Basel OEWG-14

Chemical recycling involves transforming plastic waste into chemicals or raw materials for the chemical industry through advanced methods. Unlike traditional recycling, it can process hard-to-recycle plastics, breaking them down into basic components to create high-quality materials for new products. The primary methods of chemical recycling include solvolysis, liquefaction, pyrolysis, and...

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Dr. Shahriar Hossain at Basal Convention

ESDO Takes Center Stage at OEWG-14 Basel Convention Summit

The fourteenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (OEWG-14) is being held from June 25 to June 28, 2024, at the International Conference Center Geneva (CICG). This event is preceded by Bureau and regional...

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INC4 Updates: Why a legally binding global plastics treaty is a necessary pathway to combat the climate crisis

The urgency of addressing plastic pollution, which threatens ecosystems globally and exacerbates the triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss. It highlights the UN Environment Assembly’s pivotal decision in 2022 to develop a binding international agreement to combat plastic pollution, signaling a potential shift towards comprehensive regulation....

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