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The "Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain
Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade" was adopted on 10 September 1998 by
a Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and was entered into force on
24 February 2004. The aim of the convention is to improve the international regulation of trade
in hazardous chemicals and pesticides in order to protect human health and the environment, and
to promote the environmentally sound use of such substances. Due to the dramatic growth in
chemicals production and trade during the past decade, the potential risks posed by hazardous
chemicals and pesticides has become ever apparent, including the awareness that many countries
lack the adequate infrastructure to monitor the import and use of such substances and are thus
particularly vulnerable.
The Convention was signed in order to control the import and export of
hazardous chemicals. The list of chemicals covered by this convention includes pesticides and
pesticide formulations, as well as some industrial chemicals. The Convention promotes the
exchange of information on a very broad range of chemicals through:
- a requirement for a party to inform other parties of each national ban or severe restriction
of a chemical;
- the possibility for a party that is a developing country or a country with economy in
transition to inform other parties that it is experiencing problems caused by a severely
hazardous pesticide formulation under conditions of use in its territory;
- a requirement for a party that plans to export a chemical that is banned or severely
restricted for use within its territory, to inform the importing party that such export
will take place, before the first shipment and annually thereafter;
- a requirement for an exporting party, when exporting chemicals that are to be used for
occupational purposes, to ensure that an up-to-date safety data sheet is sent to the
importer; and
- labeling requirements for exports of chemicals included in the PIC procedure, as well as
for other chemicals that are banned or severely restricted in the exporting country.
For more information on the Rotterdam Convention, please visit:
http://www.pic.int/.
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