Chemical Products: First Meeting of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention in Geneva
Bern, 14.09.2004 - Starting next Monday nearly 450 delegates from more than 100 countries will gather in Geneva for the first meeting of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention. This convention regulates imports and exports of the most hazardous chemical products in an effort to reduce the associated environmental and health risks worldwide. The conference is to be chaired by the Director of the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape (SAEFL), Secretary of State Philippe Roch. Switzerland’s Environment Minister, Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger, will attend the meeting of ministers which takes place in Geneva on 23 September. The decision on the location of Secretariat of the Convention is to be taken the following day. Geneva is a joint candidate with Rome as the seat of the Secretariat.
In accordance with the provisions of the Rotterdam Convention, authorisation to export the most hazardous pesticides and chemical products will no longer be granted unless the importing country gives its prior informed consent (PIC). The exporting country must provide the importing country with all information necessary for making its decision. At present 22 pesticides and five chemical products are subject to PIC procedures (see box below). Other chemical products will be added to the list during the first Conference of the Parties.
The Rotterdam Convention is an important part of the system which the international community has created to regulate the movement of chemical products. It will help to reduce both environmental and health risks and will in particular offer protection to those who use such products in agriculture and industry as well as consumers in the more vulnerable developing countries.
The joint candidature of Geneva and Rome
The decision on the site of the permanent Secretariat of the Convention is to be taken at this conference. Geneva and Rome, which together have managed the Secretariat ad interim since 1998, have submitted a joint candidature. Bonn is also a candidate.
The Swiss and Italian governments would like the dual seat of the Secretariat in Geneva and Rome to be a permanent solution. Such a decision would underline the international community’s desire to develop synergies between the various organisations involved in this field and achieve greater coherence between international agreements.
The experience of the past five years has shown that the dual seat of the Secretariat is a workable and effective solution. Under this arrangement the environmental aspects are controlled from Geneva. The Secretariat ad interim is attached to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and is located in the same building in Geneva, the International Environment House (IEH). The IEH is also home to the following organisations specialised in the control and management of chemical products:
- the Secretariat of the Basel Convention (Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes),
- the Secretariat ad interim of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and
- the UNEP Chemical Products Unit.
Agricultural aspects are dealt with in Rome where the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat ad interim is attached to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). This arrangement makes it possible for a small team to work effectively towards achievement of the objectives of the Rotterdam Convention.
Swiss Environment Minister Moritz Leuenberger will attend the first day of the ministerial part of the conference in Geneva on 23 September. A rendezvous with the media is being arranged for the following day, after the decision awarding the Secretariat.
Box : Substances on the PIC List
The Rotterdam Convention applies to chemical products that are banned or severly restricted in a Party to the Convention , as well as to extremely hazardous pesticide formulations. The importing country must be officially informed on the export of industrial chemicals or pesticides of this type. There are also 22 pesticides and five industrial chemicals listed in the Convention at present, which can be exported only on the basis of prior informed consent (PIC) of the importing Party.
The insecticide DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) which are used in transformers and capacitors and which accumulate in the environment and can impair the reproductive ability of many organisms.
Carcinogenic asbestos and highly toxic mercury compounds.
Certain pesticides such as Parathion which can cause severe poisoning unless users are suitably protected.
Address for enquiries
Media enquiries
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Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
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