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ROTTERDAM CONVENTION
ON HARMFUL CHEMICALS AND PESTICIDES ADOPTED AND SIGNED
Rotterdam, 11 September 1998 - The Rotterdam Convention, a new treaty on
trade in hazardous chemicals and pesticides, was signed today (Friday) during a
signing ceremony by ministers and representatives from 57 countries and the
European Community.
The legally binding treaty will protect the environment and millions of farmers,
workers, and consumers from the misuse and accidental release of toxic
substances, particularly in developing countries. By promoting the safe use of
chemicals at the national level, it will reduce unwanted imports of harmful
chemicals and pesticides. Many substances that are banned or severely restricted
in industrialised countries are still marketed and used in developing countries.
"The Rotterdam Convention represents a giant step forward", said Jan
Pronk, the Dutch Environment Minister and President of the two-day conference,
"but a great deal more work is needed before we can achieve the sustainable
management of hazardous chemicals and pesticides. I believe that we may
ultimately have to move towards a single, worldwide agreement on
chemicals."
The Rotterdam Convention will have to be ratified by at least 50 countries
before it enters into force. To ensure that work under the Convention can start
immediately, the meeting adopted an interim procedure on the voluntary
implementation of the treaty until it becomes legally binding.
The Convention requires that hazardous chemicals and pesticides that have been
banned or severely restricted in at least two countries shall not be exported
unless explicitly agreed by the importing country. It also includes pesticide
formulations that are too dangerous to be used by farmers in developing
countries. Countries are also obliged to stop national production of those
hazardous compounds.
The treaty covers a list of 5 industrial chemicals and 22 pesticides, including
Aldrin, DDT, Dieldrin, HCH, Lindane, Mercury compounds, Polychlorinated
Biphenyls (PCB) and others. Many more are likely to be added in future.
For developing countries, technical assistance will be promoted to help them
develop their infrastructure and capacity for managing chemicals and pesticides
safely. A number of industrialised countries indicated that they would be
willing to make financial contributions and to provide technical assistance for
this purpose.
A number of countries expressed the view that dispute settlement and the illicit
trafficking of hazardous chemicals should be further discussed before the
Convention enters into force.
After the Convention enters into force, the Conference of the Parties will
become the supreme authority. The location of the Convention's secretariat will
be decided by the COP.
Signers of the accord are Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Barbados,
Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba,
Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, European Community, Finland, Gambia, Germany, Ghana,
Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali,
Mongolia, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,
Philippines, Portugal, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Sudan,
Surinam, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom,
USA, Uruguay, and Yemen. The Convention will remain open for further signatures
for one year.
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