Rotterdam Convention

Mr. Geri-Geronimo Sañez of the DENR (second from right) is among those recognized by the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions for their use of the skills and knowledge acquired from technical assistance activities provided by the Conventions. Other winners were from Nigeria, Jamaica, Kenya and Cote d’Ivoire.
(Photo Source : http://www.emb.gov.ph/portal/haz/Home.aspx)

The staggering growth and proliferation of chemical production and trade during the past three decades spawned concern about the potential health and environmental risks posed by hazardous chemicals and pesticides particularly to countries without the wherewithal to monitor the import and use of these chemicals.

In the mid 1980s UNEP and FAO responded to these concerns by developing and promoting voluntary information exchange programmes.  In 1985, FAO launched the International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides. In 1987, UNEP established the London Guidelines for the Exchange of Information on Chemicals in International Trade.  In 1989, FAO and UNEP jointly introduced the voluntary Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure into these two instruments.  In tandem, these instruments enabled governments assess the risk of hazardous chemicals thereby making informed decisions on their future import.

Officials in attendance to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Brazil (Rio Earth Summit) adopted Chapter 19 of Agenda 21, which called for a legally binding instrument on the voluntary PIC procedure by the year 2000.

Thus, the Rotterdam Convention came into existence.  The Convention creates legally binding obligations for the implementation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure, covering pesticides and industrial chemicals that have been banned or severely restricted for health or environmental reasons by Parties to the Convention. These chemicals are listed under Annex III of the convention, which note the risks of using the chemicals.

The Convention entered into force in 23 February 2004.