PROGRESS REPORTED AT MEETING ON CONVENTION TO CURB TRADE IN DANGEROUS CHEMICALS AND PESTICIDES
Press Release
ENV/DEV/383
PROGRESS REPORTED AT MEETING ON CONVENTION TO CURB TRADE IN DANGEROUS CHEMICALS AND PESTICIDES
19960920 NAIROBI, 20 September (UNEP) -- As some 87 governments ended a week-long meeting in Nairobi today, the stage was set for a global convention next year on the trade in dangerous chemicals and pesticides.The talks, the second planned negotiating session, are part of an intergovernmental process to reach a legally binding treaty regulating the import and export of hazardous chemicals and pesticides through the "Prior Informed Consent" procedure.
"We have made excellent progress", said James Willis, Director of Chemicals at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). "The negotiations this week in Nairobi moved at a rapid pace and covered many of the major issues. If the governments retain the commitment demonstrated to date, then I am sure they will meet their target of a legal, binding treaty in 1997. With a 'prior informed consent' convention in operation, the international community will have taken its first major step towards establishing a comprehensive approach to chemicals risks."
Through the proposed voluntary procedure, importing countries can learn about dangerous and toxic chemicals and pesticides that may be shipped to them. They can decide whether they want to permit or ban future imports. Exporting countries are notified which products importing countries no longer want to receive, and can help ensure that illegal exports do not occur. The procedure is jointly handled by UNEP and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Because some pesticides and other chemicals that are banned or severely restricted in certain developed countries are still widely used elsewhere, particularly in developing countries, the governing bodies of UNEP and the FAO introduced the voluntary Prior Informed Consent procedure in 1989. As of July 1996, some 145 countries were participating in the procedure.
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NOTE:All official documents for the meeting are available on the Internet at http://irptc.unep.ch/pic/