List of chemicals subject to the the need Prior Informed Consent Procedure (PIC) With tens of thousands of chemicals and pesticides on the world market governments have 39 chemicals are in Annex III and subject to the PIC procedure, many more will be added in future. their hands full especially as global trade expands each year. Countries lacking adequate infrastructure to manage chemicals are particularly vulnerable. Improper use, Pesticides inadequate storage and control, can lead to environmental damage, serious 2,4,5-T and its salts and esters, Aldrin, Binapacryl, Captafol, Chlordane, illness, sick and absent farm workers and death while obsolete stockpile Chlordimeform, Chlorobenzilate, DDT, Dieldrin, Dinoseb and its salts towards clean-up operations can be very expensive. A key challenge for and esters, Dinitro-ortho-cresol (DNOC) and its salts (such as countries is to balance the benefits and risks when taking ammonium salt, potassium salt and sodium salt), EDB (1,2- national decisions on chemicals. dibromoethane), Ethylene dichloride, Ethylene oxide, Fluoroacetamide, HCH (mixed isomers), Heptachlor, Hexachlorobenzene, Lindane responsible (gamma-HCH), Mercury Compounds, Monocrotophos, Parathion, Rotterdam Pentachlorophenol and its salts and esters,Toxaphene Severely hazardous pesticide formulations Convention the objective Methamidophos (Soluble liquid formulations of the substance that trade exceed 600 g active ingredient/l), Methyl-parathion (emulsifiable on the Prior Informed To promote shared responsibility and cooperative concentrates (EC) with at or above 19.5% active ingredient and dusts efforts among Parties in the international trade of at or above 1.5% active ingredient), Phosphamidon (Soluble liquid Consent Procedure certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect formulations of the substance that exceed 1000 g active ingredient/l), human health and the environment from Dustable powder formulations containing a combination of Benomyl at for Certain Hazardous potential harm.The Convention contributes to or above 7%, Carbofuran at or above 10% and Thiram at or above 15% the environmentally sound use of such chemicals, Industrial chemicals Chemicals and by facilitating information exchange about their Actinolite, Amosite, Anthophyllite, Crocidolite and Tremolite asbestos, characteristics, by providing for a national decision- Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs), Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Pesticides in making process on their import and export and by Polychlorinated Terphenyls (PCTs),Tetraethyl lead ,Tetramethyl lead, disseminating these decisions to Parties. Tris(2,3 dibromopropyl)phosphate International Trade the benefit

O The Convention prevents unwanted trade in the chemicals A The Rotterdam Secretariat at FAO Secretariat at UNEP Convention is served by a Food and Agriculture Organization United Nations Environment included in the legally binding prior informed consent (PIC) UNEP/F Secretariat jointly managed of the United Nations Programme procedure. It enables member governments to alert each other to edit: by the Food and Agriculture Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 11-13, Chemin des Anmones potential dangers by exchanging information on banned or severely restricted Organization of the United 00100 Rome, Italy CH 1219 Chtelaine, chemicals and to take informed decisions on them. It makes the international trade Nations and the United Tel:(+39 06) 5705 3441 Geneva, Switzerland Nations Environment Fax: (+39 06) 5705 6347 Tel:(+41 22) 917 8296 ROTTERDAM CONVENTION in hazardous chemicals more transparent and less vulnerable to abuse through its export une 06 Æ photo cr J Programme: E-mail: [email protected] Fax: (+41 22) 917 8082 notification provisions and by encouraging harmonized labeling of exported chemicals. The E-mail: [email protected] Convention also calls for the provision of technical assistance to help establish the printed in: www.pic.int infrastructure and capacity necessary to safely manage chemicals.

The Convention encourages nations to help each other to safely manage chemicals. The global chemicals An early industry and trade. warning system. An estimated 1-2 million chemical preparations The Rotterdam Convention’s approach is to stop problems are on sale around the world today. with hazardous chemicals before they start, by impeding After the automotive sector, the chemicals industry exports of unwanted hazardous chemicals to countries that is the world’s largest manufacturing industry, with cannot manage them. Doing so will help reduce: annual sales of US$1.6 trillion. International trade accounts for US$480 billion in sales. Due to poor accidental deaths and injuries among users who too often reporting and monitoring, it is difficult to estimate are unequipped to handle hazardous chemicals safely; what part of that international trade is in chemicals The RC, trade and damage to the environment; hazardous to humans and the environment. the creation of dangerous, forgotten stockpiles of obsolete hazardous chemicals. and unwanted hazardous chemicals, particularly pesticides; The Rotterdam Convention was initially inspired by growth in the world’s toxic waste disposal problem. a North-South dilemma in which wealthier Death, disability and birth defects Together, the Rotterdam, Basel countries with bans on certain life-threatening are among the dangers toxic and Stockholm Conventions The Convention is an early warning system that empowers chemicals continued to sell them abroad. However, pesticides and industrial chemicals can help countries to manage poorer nations to take their own informed decisions on toxic in recent years South-South trade has increased pose to humans and environment. hazardous chemicals throughout chemical imports by providing: between newly emerging economies, where Deep concern over global traffic of their life-cycle. information on other countries’ decisions to ban or severely chemicals production is rising, and poorer countries. certain hazardous chemicals has restrict certain chemicals; In both instances less-advantaged importing spurred international acceptance of Rotterdam Convention provides early information on other countries’ experiences with severely countries often lack the means to manage the Rotterdam Convention. warning on dangerous chemicals and hazardous pesticide formulations; hazardous chemicals throughout their life cycle, prevents the unwanted international the means to stop unwanted imports; from importation through use and safe disposal. This United Nations Convention trade on certain chemicals. the requirement that exporting countries respect other addresses the export and import of countries’ decisions on imports. hazardous chemicals and, by Stockholm Convention controls and implication, their use and regulation. eliminates production and use of It deals with chemicals that are certain chemicals, persistent organic banned or severely restricted in pollutants (POPs). some countries (particularly in industrialized regions) but that are Basel Convention limits toxic still exported to other countries trade in hazardous wastes and (particularly in developing regions). ensures proper disposal of wastes.