NEW ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS ON HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS CONVENTION TO BE HELD AT ROME 20-24 OCTOBER
Press Release
FAO/3650
UNEP/12
NEW ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS ON HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS CONVENTION TO BE HELD AT ROME 20-24 OCTOBER
19971016 ROME/NAIROBI, 16 October (UNEP) - Negotiations on a convention to govern international trade in extremely hazardous chemicals and pesticides will take place in Rome from 20 to 24 October, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today.More than 250 delegates from around 100 countries are expected to attend the meeting, according to the two agencies. The legally binding convention should help to manage more safely, and ultimately contain, the trade of chemicals and pesticides such as DDT, PCBs, Aldrin, Lindane, Dieldrin and others which are highly harmful to human health and the environment.
Trade in extremely hazardous pesticides is currently monitored through the voluntary "prior informed consent procedure", in which 154 countries are participating. According to this system, 22 harmful pesticides and five industrial chemicals, which have been banned or severely restricted in a number of countries, are not to be exported without the acceptance of the importing country. The procedure is jointly administered by FAO and UNEP.
Many developing countries have reported acute poisoning and even fatalities among farmers because pesticides cannot be handled safely, FAO said. Protective gear is too expensive and in many cases cannot be used because of the climate in these countries. According to UNEP, the new convention will provide the world with a vital first line of defence in managing extremely dangerous chemicals and pesticides.
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