Closed Consultation

International RCEN-IP Conference on Solid Waste Management in West Africa

Niamey, Niger, Africa
November 21 to 25, 2005

The RCEN-IP organized the Niger Conference on Solid Waste Management from November 21st to 25th, 2005.

A total of 44 participants from Canada, the US, France, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Senegal, Niger and Ghana attended the conference. A compilation of case studies on solid waste management and the export of products at the end of their lifecycle to African countries was distributed to conference participants to stimulate discussions at the meeting.

Workshops were given on the following themes: Anarchic Waste Dumping; Waste Burning (dioxin and furan); International Legal Framework for Waste Management; and Civil Society Involvement in Promoting the 3R hierarchy (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). African NGOs developed a political position on solid and hazardous waste management and a political position on the export of products at the end of their lifecycle to African countries.

The main outcomes from the conference were the creation of a West African network on waste issues, a policy paper on solid waste management and the adoption of the Niamey Declaration on Hazardous and Solid Waste.

Please read the program (in French only) and general report for more information on the conference.