16th Meeting of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC-16) of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade

The Chemical Review Committee concluded its work on Friday, adopting decisions on decaBDE and PFOA, its salts and related compounds. The Committee has agreed to recommend that both chemicals be listed as industrial chemicals in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention, which would subject them to the prior informed consent procedure for international trade. The Conference of the Parties is scheduled to consider these recommendations at its next meeting, scheduled for July 2021.

In his closing remarks, BRS Conventions Executive Secretary Rolph Payet expressed his appreciation for all of the people who contributed to the success of this meeting, despite the challenging circumstances. He lauded participants for their efficient work and progress and, emphasizing that online meetings are “riskier” and require much more preparation than those that are held in person, he thanked the BRS Conventions staff for all of the work they did behind the scenes to make the meeting possible.

Rémi Nono Womdim, Executive Secretary of the Rotterdam Convention-FAO, congratulated participants on the successful completion of all items on the meeting's agenda and thanked them for their constructive engagement and dedication to the protection of the environment.

In closing, CRC Chair Noluzuko “Zukie” Gwayi expressed her gratitude to participants, and especially the Chairs and Drafters of the working groups, for their leadership and hard work. She encouraged members to attend the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties in order to explain and defend the Committee’s recommendations and decisions. She also thanked the BRS Secretariat for its exceptional support throughout CRC16, noting that holding this meeting virtually was a historic “first” for the Committee. Chair Gwayi gaveled the meeting to a close at 2:22 pm (UTC+2).

The summary and analysis report is now availablle in HTML and PDF.