UN conference takes historic strides to strengthen chemical safety globally
One of the challenges discussed in Geneva was how to enable countries to manage pesticides safely, to use the right quantity, at the right time and in the right way.
The three conventions that govern chemicals and hazardous waste safety at the global level, the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, concluded their first ever jointly held meetings of the parties late Friday 10th May 2013, in Geneva.
The historic meeting, attended by nearly two thousand participants from 170 countries, as well as 80 Ministers, adopted 50 separate decisions aimed at strengthening protection against hazardous chemicals and waste.
The meeting had been convened to strengthen cooperation and collaboration between the conventions, with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of their activities on the ground. Each convention then continued individually over a two-week period to deal with its own specific topics of the global chemicals and waste agenda before returning in a joint session at the end of the week to finalize their outcomes.
The meeting culminated in a ministerial segment on 9 and 10 May 2013 dedicated to the theme of strengthening synergies between the conventions at national, regional and global level.
In a press conference following the ministerial segment, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner, called the conferences of the parties “a unique historic event coming at a time of unprecedented change and progress in the arena of global environmental governance. The strengthening of UNEP and the synergies process of chemicals and waste multilateral environmental agreements are complementary parts of the ongoing reform to fortify the environmental dimension of sustainable development.”
Global Environment Facility (GEF) CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii spoke of the challenges countries face protecting the planet’s critical ecosystems from contamination by hazardous chemicals and waste and of GEF support for strategies to overcome them. “At this critical juncture, the Global Environment Facility is committed to its financial support to help countries address these important challenges in three ways,” said Ms. Ishii. “Assisting them in their efforts to mainstream sound chemicals management in national agendas, creating an integrated GEF chemicals and wastes focal area, and expanding engagement with the private sector.”
FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said that in many countries intensive crop production has depleted agriculture’s natural resource base, jeopardizing future productivity. “To fight hunger and eradicate poverty, we will need to find more sustainable ways to produce 60% more food by 2050,” he said.
However, he recognized that chemical pesticides would continue to be part of farming in many parts of the world in future.
“The challenge is to enable countries to manage pesticides safely, to use the right quantity, at the right time and in the right way and also to apply alternatives to hazardous pesticides. Because when we don’t, pesticides continue to pose a serious risk to human health and the environment and will eventually end up as waste. Today, half a million tons of obsolete pesticides are scattered around the developing world,” he said.
“Around 70 percent of the chemicals addressed by the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions are pesticides, and many are used in agriculture. It is in the best interest of all countries to ensure that the three conventions can work together, effectively and efficiently, to address various aspects of the chemical life cycle.”
“Much of the success of this synergies meeting is owed to the outstanding cooperation and inspired leadership of the three presidents of the conferences, Franz Perrez of Switzerland, Magdalena Balicka of Poland and Osvaldo Álvarez-Pérez of Chile,” added Mr. Willis.
Source: FAO Media Centre
Published in International Pest Control – May/June 2013 issue.
Category: International Pest News
