Overview of the

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Overview of the Rotterdam Convention

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Overview of the Rotterdam Convention

• Structure of the presentation
• Part 1 - Introduction to the Rotterdam
  Convention
• Part 2 - Operation of the Rotterdam
  Convention
• Part 3 - Benefits to its Parties
• Part 4 - Status of implementation in the
  region
• Part 5 - Outcome COP-4
• Part 6 - Technical assistance

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Part 1 Introduction to the Rotterdam Convention

• Some key dates for the Rotterdam Convention
• Sept 1998 Text of the Convention adopted
• 1998-2004 Interim PIC procedure (voluntary)
• 24 Feb 2004 Convention enters into force
  (legally binding)
• March 2009 128 Parties

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Objectives

• To promote shared responsibility and cooperative
  efforts among Parties in the international trade
  of certain hazardous chemicals in order to
  protect human health and the environment from
  potential harm and to contribute to their
  environmentally sound use

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Meeting the Objectives

• How
• Provides an early warning of potentially
  hazardous chemicals
• Provides the basis for decisions regarding of
  future imports of chemicals (PIC procedure)
• Helps to enforce those import decisions

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Scope of the Convention

• Applies to
• Chemicals banned or severely restricted to
  protect human health or the environment
• Severely hazardous pesticide formulations (SHPF)
  - causing problems under conditions of use in
  developing countries or countries with economies
  in transition

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Key Provisions

• PIC procedure - Provides for a national decision
  making process on import of hazardous chemicals
  in Annex III and attempts to ensure compliance
  with these decisions by exporting Parties
• 40 chemicals listed in Annex III, including 25
  pesticides, 4 SHPF and 11 industrial chemicals
• Information exchange - the exchange of
  information on a broad range of potentially
  hazardous chemicals

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Overview of Articles

• Article 1- 4 Objective, definitions, scope and
  DNAs role
• Article 5-14 Procedures for inclusion and
  removing of chemicals and for export and import
  of chemicals
• Article 15-30 General obligations and common
  clauses

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Overview of Annexes

• Annex I Information requirements for
  notifications made pursuant to Article 5
• Annex II Criteria for listing banned or
  severely restricted chemicals in Annex III
• Annex III Chemicals subject to the PIC procedure
• Annex IV Information and criteria for listing
  severely hazardous pesticide formulations in
  Annex III
• Annex V Information requirements for export
  notification
• Annex VI Settlement of Disputes

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Part 2 Operation of the Rotterdam Convention

• Key Players
• Who they are and what they do
• Key Provisions
• What they are and how they operate

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Key Players

• Designated National Authorities (DNAs)
• Conference of the Parties (COP)
• Chemical Review Committee (CRC)
• Secretariat

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1. Designated National Authorities

• Generally government departments responsible for
  policy decisions and regulation of pesticides or
  industrial chemicals
• Key contact point for the secretariat regarding
  the implementation of the convention
• Responsible for coordinating actions at the
  national level to ensure compliance with the
  Convention e.g. government ministries, exporters,
  importers, customs authorities

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2. Conference of the Parties (COP)

• Highest authority of the Convention
• Oversees the implementation of the Convention
• including policy issues, programme of work and
  budget, inclusion of chemicals in Annex III,
  establishes subsidiary bodies
• Meets every two years
• COP 4, October 2008

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3.Chemical Review Committee (CRC)

• Composed of government designated experts in
  chemicals management (31 members geographical
  distribution)
• Reviews notifications of final regulatory actions
  and proposals from Parties
• Makes recommendations to COP on the addition of
  chemicals to Annex III

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4. Secretariat

• Provided jointly by UNEP and FAO
• Convenes meetings of the COP and CRC
• Facilitates assistance to Parties in
  implementation of the Convention
• Coordinates with regional and international
  partners
• Unique example of cooperation between UN
  organizations

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Key Provisions

• PIC procedure - Provides for a national decision
  making process on import of hazardous chemicals
  in Annex III and to ensure compliance with these
  decisions by exporting Parties
• Information exchange - the exchange of
  information on a broad range of potentially
  hazardous chemicals

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Key provision PIC Procedure

• Key elements
• Decision Guidance Documents (DGD)
• Import response
• PIC Circular
• Responsibilities of importing and exporting
  Parties

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Key provision PIC Procedure

• Summary
• COP decides to make a chemical subject to the PIC
  Procedure (Annex III)
• Secretariat circulates a DGD to all Parties
• Parties submit import response for each chemical
• Secretariat circulates all import responses to
  all Parties through the PIC Circular
• Parties follow up on import / export
  responsibilities

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Key provision Information Exchange

• Mechanism for the exchange of information on a
  broad range of potentially hazardous chemicals
• Any chemical that is banned or severely
  restricted to protect human health or the
  environment
• Severely hazardous pesticide formulations causing
  problems under the conditions of use

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Key provision Information Exchange

• Key elements
• PIC Circular summaries of notifications of
  national regulatory actions, import responses,
  contact details DNAs
• Export notification an indication of the
  hazardous chemicals that are entering the
  country
• Information to accompany export improved
  labeling and accompanying information in line
  with GHS, while HS Codes linked to work of the
  WCO will facilitate tracking of PIC chemicals

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Part 3Benefits to its Parties

• Prevents unwanted trade (shared responsibility)
• Early warning system
• Informed decision-making (PIC procedure
  information exchange)
• Export notification
• Information accompanying export (labeling and
  provision of safety data sheets)
• Network of DNAs
• Technical Assistance

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Part 4Status of implementation in the region

• Implementation in the Caribbean and Latin
  American regions
• Ratification
• Import responses to Annex III
• Notifications
• Non-Parties

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Status of implementation Caribbean region
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Status of implementation Caribbean region

• List of non-Parties
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Grenada
• Haiti
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago

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Status of implementation Latin American region
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Status of implementation Latin American region

• List of non-Parties
• Costa Rica
• Guatemala
• Honduras

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Status of implementation

• Why a low level of ratifications in the region???
• What are the major challenges of Parties in the
  region???

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Part 5Outcome COP-4, October 2008

• gt 500 participants from 113 Parties, 14
  non-Parties, 6 IGOs, 26 NGOs/industry societies
• High Level Segment attended by 52 (vice)
  Ministers
• Ministerial panel discussions Sound chemicals
  management relieving the burden on public health

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Outcome COP-4

• Key outcomes
• Listed tributyltin in Annex III as of 01/02/2009
• Unable to reach consensus on inclusion chrysotile
  asbestos and endosulfan in Annex III
• Agreed to reconsider at COP-5
• Agreed to share import decisions on a voluntary
  basis as information exchange
• Nominations experts CRC

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Outcome COP-4

• Key outcomes (contd)
• Procedure and institutional mechanisms on
  non-compliance NOT adopted and agreed to
  reconsider at COP-5
• Adopted recommendation on enhanced coordination
  and cooperation among the secretariats of Basel,
  Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
• Strong support for technical assistance programme
  in 2007-2008 by many Parties
• Adopted Programme of work on technical assistance
  and budget for 2009-2011 triennium

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Part 6Technical assistance 2007-2008

• The following technical assistance meetings were
  organized in the following categories
• Developing nationals plans (NAP)
• National follow-up seminars
• Thematic meetings
• Fostering cooperation among DNAs
• Working directly with individual countries

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Technical assistance 2007-2008in the Caribbean
and Latin American region

• Developing nationals plans (NAP) subregional
  meetings in 5 countries (Belize, Dominica, El
  Salvador, Mexico, Venezuela)
• 2. Follow-up seminars in 12 countries
  (Nicaragua, Peru, Costa Rica, Cuba)
• 3. Thematic meetings
• 1 national and 1 subregional meeting on trade in
  Brazil
• 1 national meeting on SHPFs in Ecuador
• 4. DNAs 2 subregional meetings of DNAs in Chile
  and in Panama

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Technical assistance 2009-2011

• General approach
• Responding to needs identified by Parties
• Building on work undertaken previously
• Incorporates new areas of strategic direction
• Joint delivery through strengthened partnerships
• Emphasis on regional participation and delivery
• Programme for industrial chemicals management

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Technical assistance 2009-2011

• Activities identified as priority by Parties
• Resource kit
• Awareness raising and training meetings
• Thematic meetings
• SHPF
• Trade-related issues
• Preparation of notifications of final regulatory
  action
• Customs (jointly with SC BC)
• Resource Mobilization (jointly with RC BC)
• Clearing House Mechanism (jointly with RC BC)
• Industrial chemicals programme

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Technical assistance 2009-2011

• Partners in the regional delivery of technical
  assistance
• FAO and UNEP Regional offices
• Stockholm and Basel Regional Centres
• Regional Experts
• UNEP and FAO divisions
• Stockholm and Basel Convention secretariats
• Regional networks, such as CARICOM

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• For more information
• www.pic.int