The Arab Network for Environment and Development (RAED) participated in the 40th meeting of the team responsible for following up on conventions related to chemicals and hazardous waste. The meeting was organized by the Department of Environment and Meteorology Affairs at the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment. It was held over three days, from March 17 to 19, 2025, at the headquarters of the League of Arab States in Cairo.

The meeting brought together representatives from environment ministries across various Arab countries, as well as a delegation from the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, headed by Dr. Mahmoud Fathallah, Director of the Department of Environment and Meteorology Affairs. Also, with the participation of representatives from relevant international and regional organizations, including the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), and the Basel Convention Regional Center for Training and Technology Transfer for Arab States.

The meeting was chaired by Eng. Abou Bakr Hassanein, representing Egypt, and addressed a number of key issues related to solid waste, chemicals and hazardous waste management in Arab countries. Notable among these was the presentation of the Framework Strategy for Solid Waste Management, follow-up on the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, as well as updates on the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) and the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade.

Dr. Alaa Abdelbary, Vice President of the Arab Academy for Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Research, presented the draft outline of the Arab Framework Strategy for Solid Waste Management, which the Academy is developing in cooperation with the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment. He noted that the draft incorporates feedback from Arab states and highlighted the technical and legislative developments achieved by the strategy preparation team in recent months. These updates are aligned with international advancements in solid waste management and will be integrated into the final draft to be presented at the next meeting of the Technical Committee on Environmental Affairs.

In his remarks, Dr. Mostafa Rasheed, Assistant President of the Arab Academy and liaison with the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment, clarified that the Arab Strategy for Solid Waste Management was mandated by the Fourth Session of the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit. He added that the League of Arab States, in cooperation with the Academy, is currently preparing a progress report on the implementation of the strategy. This report is scheduled to be submitted at the extraordinary meeting of the Economic and Social Council in preparation for the Fifth Session of the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit, to be held in May 2025. The extraordinary meeting is set to take place on April 6–7, 2025, at the League of Arab States headquarters.