Rotterdam Convention

2022 SEP 27

Preliminary   > International Relations   >   International Institutions   >   Int'l organisations & conventions

Why in news?

  • International trade of two new hazardous pesticides — Iprodione and Terbufos — has been recommended for “prior informed consent” (PIC) procedure under the Rotterdam Convention. The chemicals are dangerous for humans and aquatic animals.

About Rotterdam Convention:

  • Rotterdam Convention was adopted by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries (COP) in 1998 in Rotterdam (Netherlands)
  • Objectives:
    • To ensure shared responsibilities and cooperative efforts while trading certain hazardous chemicals internationally.
    • To exchange information about the characteristics of the chemicals that the parties to the convention trade so as to contribute to the environmentally sound use of such hazardous chemicals.
  • The secretariat of the convention is in Geneva, Switzerland.

Provisions of Rotterdam Convention:

  • The convention covers those pesticides and industrial chemicals that are banned or severely restricted.
  • Any concern related to pesticides and industrial chemicals promotes their inclusion on Annex III of the convention.
  • With respect to the chemicals under Annex III, the member parties have the following choices:
    • To allow its import
    • To disallow its import
    • To allow its import with some conditions
  • A country that imports chemicals has to formulate decisions that are trade-neutral.
  • The Convention creates legally binding obligations for the implementation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure.

Two Important Mechanisms of the Rotterdam Convention

  • Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure:
    • It is one of the main provisions of the Rotterdam Convention of 1998 that states that parties that are importing the chemicals as listed in Annex III of the Convention have to formally obtain and disseminate the decision of receiving future shipments of such chemicals.
    • The importing pirates have to ensure that decisions related to their import are well in compliance by the exporting parties.
    • There are 52 chemicals listed in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention for the trade of which parties have to follow the mechanism of Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure.
  • Information Exchange:
    • It is a mechanism under which parties have to inform the Secretariat when they take a domestic regulatory action to ban or severely restrict a chemical.
    • Any party that is exporting a chemical which is banned in its territory has to comply with the guideline to inform all the importing parties before its first shipment.

Members of Rotterdam Convention

  • There are 163 parties to the Rotterdam Convention
  • India acceded to Rotterdam Convention in 2005

PRACTICE QUESTION

With reference to ‘Rotterdam Convention’, consider the following statements:

1. It creates legally binding obligations for the implementation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure.

2. Any concern related to pesticides and industrial chemicals promotes their inclusion on Annex III of the convention.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer