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ROTTERDAM CONVENTION
Alcheraus J M Rwazo
Tropical Pesticides Research Institute
P O Box 3024
Arusha
1.0 INTRODUCTION: The Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent
Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International
Trade was adopted on 10 th September 1998 and entered into force on 24 th
February 2004. Therefore the Convention is now legally binding for its
parties. Before entering into force, it was operated jointly by UNEP and FAO on
voluntary basis as the Interim Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure.
The convention aim at promoting 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 by facilitating information exchange
about their characteristics, providing for a decision making process on their
import and export and disseminating these decisions to Parties.
The Convention covers pesticides and industrial chemicals that have been
banned or severely restricted for health or environmental reasons by Parties
and which have been notified by these Parties. At present, the PIC procedure
covers twenty-nine hazardous pesticides and nine industrial chemicals. For
industrial chemicals, the scope of the Convention is limited to formulations
and mixtures. As a result, manufactured items that are traded internationally and
that contain chemicals listed under the PIC Procedure are not subject to the
provisions of the Rotterdam Convention.
2.0 THE KEY IMPLEMENTERS
2.1 Parties and Designated National Authorities
Parties are countries or regional economic integration organizations that have
ratified, accepted, approved or acceded to the Convention. A party is required to
appoint one or more Designated National Authorities. These are primary contact
points for matters related to the operation of the convention and may perform
the administrative functions required by the Convention.
2.2 Conference of the Parties (COP):
Oversees the operation of the Convention and make decisions regarding
amendments of the Convention including the inclusion of a chemical.
2.3 The Chemical Review Committee (CRC)
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