Convention Information

ASP will complement several international legal and voluntary instruments that address chemical and hazardous material management. While developing its own criteria and objectives, ASP will also help to advance the objectives of these conventions. Country eligibility for disposal or prevention projects, for example, will consider whether countries have ratified or acceded to agreements such as the Stockholm, Basel, Bamako, and Rotterdam Conventions.

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) 

Adopted in May 2001, in Stockholm, Sweden, the POPs Convention calls for outright banning and destruction of some of the world’s most dangerous chemicals. The convention entered into force in May 2004 and has 100 parties to date. It seeks the elimination or restriction of production and use of all intentionally produced POPs. The convention targets pesticides, industrial chemicals and unintentionally produced POPs. Stockpiles of wastes containing POPs must be managed in a safe, efficient, and environmentally sound manner, taking into account international rules, standards, and guidelines. Parties are required to submit National Implementation Plans (NIPs) within two years after joining the convention. Thus far 24 African countries have ratified and another 14 signed the convention and were therefore eligible for GEF assistance with NIPs. These plans are to include strategies for identifying stockpiled and waste POPs, action plans on the control and substitution of DDT, and action plans to reduce or eliminate POPs releases from unintentional production. Almost all countries will need to develop environmentally sound projects to clean up their POPs pesticide stockpiles. In many regions society still lacks appropriate and adequate destruction facilities, and the costs associated with providing them may be greater than the region can afford without technical and financial assistance. Where POPs pesticides are involved, the disposal and prevention activities envisaged by ASP may provide considerable practical support for tasks identified in the NIPs.

Text of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal

Concluded in Basel, Switzerland, in March 1989, this convention entered into force in May 1992. Now ratified by 165 countries including 43 of the 53 African countries, the focus of this convention is to control the movement of hazardous wastes, ensure their environmentally sound management and disposal, and prevent illegal waste trafficking. The parties to this convention recognize the serious problems posed by stockpiles of unused and unwanted chemical products which, as a result of their obsolescence, are now considered wastes. At a ministerial-level meeting held in Rabat, Morocco, in January 2001, African countries declared their intent to work with other interested parties from all sectors of civil society to rid all 53 countries of Africa of these stockpiled wastes over the next 10 years. The Rabat Programme of Action, agreed at the close of the ministerial meeting, aims to enhance the capacity of the region to

• prevent the future accumulation of unwanted stocks of pesticides (including DDT), PCBs, and used oils;
• dispose of existing stocks of unwanted pesticides, PCBs, and used oils in a manner that is environmentally sound and socially and economically acceptable; 
• develop a stakeholders partnership to address the environmentally sound management of unwanted stocks of pesticides, PCBs, and used oils; and 
• strengthen existing logistical and financial approaches and pursue alternative and innovative approaches at the national, subregional, regional, and global levels to prevent and dispose of unwanted stocks of pesticides, PCBs, and used oils.

Text of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes

The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedures for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (PIC)

The Rotterdam Convention emerged in response to concerns about the dramatic growth in chemical production and trade during the last three decades and the associated risks posed by hazardous chemicals and pesticides. Countries lacking adequate infrastructure to monitor import and use of such substances were particularly vulnerable. Adopted in Rotterdam in September 1998, the treaty enables parties to review basic health and environmental data on specified chemicals and to permit or refuse any incoming shipments of those chemicals. The objective of this convention is to promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among parties in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals and to contribute to their environmentally sound use through information exchange. The Rotterdam Convention entered into force in February 2004 and currently has 94 parties. Activities aimed at institutional strengthening, development of regulatory frameworks, and capacity building in the area of chemical safety in African countries have the potential to serve the objectives of both the Rotterdam Convention and ASP. For example, improved capacity to manage the import of chemicals on the basis of the convention's prior informed consent process should also contribute to the ASP objective of preventing future buildups of obsolete pesticides.

The Montreal Protocol

The Montreal Protocol, aimed at the control and elimination of ozone depleting substances, has demonstrated useful lessons with regard to the design and implementation of country or sector level strategies which combine capacity building, regulatory and legislative development, and disposal activities. The protocol came into force in January 1989, and has been ratified by 189 countries. Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention The Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention was agreed by the General Conference of the International Labour Organization in 2001. It aims to protect agricultural workers from harm resulting from their work. A specific section addresses the sound management of chemicals including use, regulation, and distribution. The convention also makes specific reference to management of chemical waste, obsolete chemicals and empty containers in agriculture. The ASP will adhere to the principles of the convention by taking all possible measures to ensure that no workers who contribute to disposal of obsolete pesticides will come to any harm. The ASP will support countries in the implementation of measures designed to reduce risk from pesticide use in agriculture as well as in other sectors and safely manage pesticide waste.

The Convention on Biological Diversity

Adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and ratified by 188 countries, the Convention on Biological Diversity has three main goals: the conservation of biodiversity; the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity; and sharing the benefits arising from the commercial and other utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. The convention is highly relevant to the ASP due to the threats to biodiversity posed by obsolete pesticides. These chemicals, particularly POPs pesticides, can severely affect plant life, wildlife, marine systems, domestic animals, and humans.

The Bamako Convention on the Ban of the Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes within Africa

The Bamako Convention was adopted on January 30, 1991, in Bamako, Mali. Participation is limited to members of the Organization of African Unity. The convention’s objectives are to

•  protect human health and the environment from dangers posed by hazardous wastes by reducing their generation to a minimum;
• adopt precautionary measures and ensure proper disposal of hazardous wastes; and
• prevent hazardous waste dumping in Africa.

The International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides

The International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides is the worldwide guidance document on pesticide management for all public and private entities engaged in, or associated with, the distribution and use of pesticides. It was first adopted in 1985 by the FAO Conference and revised most recently in 2002. The Code is designed to provide standards of conduct and to serve as a point of reference in relation to sound pesticide management practices, in particular for government authorities and the pesticide industry. The prevention components of ASP country projects will be designed to a large extent to ensure effective implementation of the Code of Conduct.