| empty cell | absence of clear information. |
| none | there is nothing for the moment. |
| draft | the action is ongoing, but not yet finalized. |
| 2005 | year the law, NSC, etc. has been implemented. |
| HDI | The human development index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the average achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, as measured by life expectancy at birth; knowledge, as measured by the adult literacy rate and the combined gross enrolment ratio for primary, secondary and tertiary schools; and a decent standard of living, as measured by GDP per capita in purchasing power parity (PPP) US dollars. |
| BC | Basel Convention on hazardous waste (UNEP). |
| SC | Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). |
| Law | Law or set of laws at national level that address HCWM issues. |
| Policy | Official document that states the goals to be achieved. |
| Strategy | Official document that lists the steps that must be taken to achieve the objectives contained in the Policy document. |
| NAP | National Action Plan: document that can be seen as a time-driven scheme defining who does what, when, how and at what cost. |
| Guidelines | Practical oriented document(s) that lists responsibilities and duties of staff; segregation, handling, storage and transport procedures; colour coding, etc... |
| NSC | National Steering Committee: group of people that coordinate the implementation of the NAP according to the Policy and Strategy adopted. |