Chemical products: Geneva and Rome to share Permanent Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention
Bern, 24.09.2004 - The First Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention, meeting in Geneva, has awarded the Convention’s Permanent Secretariat jointly to Geneva and Rome. “This decision is very positive as it means the Convention will be able to work with the other international conventions and organisations based in Geneva. Switzerland is particularly honoured by this expression of the Parties confidence” said State Secretary Philippe Roch, Director of the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape (SAEFL), who chaired the conference.
The award confirms Geneva’s position as a centre of expertise in the area of international environment policy, particularly with regard to chemical products and wastes. The Permanent Secretariats of the Conventions of Rotterdam and Basel (control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes), and the Secretariat ad interim of the Convention of Stockholm on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) will thus be able to continue working side by side in Geneva’s International Environment House. Other Geneva-based organisations that are important for the control and management of chemical products include the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is the international centre of expertise in the area of pesticides.
During the conference the Parties added 14 new products to the list of substances subject to strict regulation, including a number of asbestos compounds that are already banned in Switzerland and several other European countries due to their carcinogenic nature. The Swiss delegation is pleased with the results of this First Conference of the Parties. “The decisions taken are constructive and positive for the continuation of the work of the Convention”, Mr Roch noted during a follow-up meeting with the media.
The Rotterdam Convention regulates the export and import of the most dangerous pesticides and chemical products. Products subject to the Convention may not be exported unless the importing country has been duly informed about the nature of the product and has given its consent, a process known as “prior informed consent” or PIC. There is now a total of 30 pesticides and 11 chemical products on the list.
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