Rotterdam Convention

Introduction

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 parties for inclusion in the prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure. One notification form each of two specified regions triggers consideration of addition of a chemical to Annex III of the Convention, severely hazardous pesticide formulation that present a hazard under conditions of use in developing countries or countries with economies in transition may also be nominated for inclusion in Annex III.

There are 39 chemicals listed in Annex III of the Convention and subject to the PIC procedure, including 24 pesticides, 4 severely hazardous pesticide formulations and 11 industrial chemicals. Many more chemicals are expected to be added in the future. The Conference of the parities decides on the inclusion of new chemicals.

Objectives:

To promote shared responsibility cooperative efforts among parties in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from potential harm; to contribute to the environmentally sound use of those hazardous chemicals, by facilitating information exchange about their characteristics by providing for a national decision-making process on their import and export and by disseminating those decisions to parties concerned.

Date of Adoption: 10.09.1998
Date of Entry in to Force: 24.02.2004
Date of Ratification By Sri Lanka : 19.01.2006
Number of Countries which have ratified the Convention: 119
National Focal Point: Ministry of Agriculture
Designated National Authorities: Registrar of Pesticide - Pesticides
Central Environmental Authority - Industrial Chemicals