ENB @ Rotterdam Convention INC-11 and COP-1, Geneva, Switzerland 18-24 September 2004

	Eleventh session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for an International Legally Binding Instrument for the Application of the Prior Informed Consent Procedure (PIC) for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (INC-11) Geneva, Switzerland; 18 September 2004 First meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade Geneva, Switzerland; 20 - 24 September 2004

Earth Negotiations Bulletin - ENB

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Highlights for Monday, 20 September 2004

The first Conference of Parties (COP-1) to the Rotterdam Convention on The Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure For Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade opened Monday morning, 20 September, in Geneva. Following opening statements, delegates addressed organizational matters and the consideration of chemicals for inclusion in Annex III. During the afternoon, delegates convened in a Committee of the Whole (COW) session, and a legal group began deliberations.

Above photo L-R: Louise Fresco, FAO Assistant Director-General, Niek van der Graaff, Joint Executive Secretary for the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention (FAO), President Philippe Roch, and Jim Willis, Joint Executive Secretary for the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention (UNEP).

Opening Plenary:



Shafqat Kakakhel, UNEP Deputy Executive Director, cited the importance of the Rotterdam Convention as an effort to provide a lasting solution to the problem of hazardous chemicals and pesticides.	Louise Fresco, FAO Assistant Director-General, stressed the need to move forward into the future of the Rotterdam Convention and continue its progress.

Above photo: View of the packed plenary at the Geneva International Conference Center.

Phillipe Roch, State Secretary, Director, Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests, and Landscape, welcomed delegates to Geneva and cited the importance of coordination among international efforts to manage chemicals.

MATTERS STIPULATED BY THE CONVENTION FOR ACTION BY THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES AT ITS FIRST MEETING PHYSICAL LOCATION OF THE SECRETARIAT:

Patrick Szell, Secretariat, introduced a joint proposal by Switzerland, Italy and Germany on the procedure to be followed at COP-1 for selecting the physical location of the Convention Secretariat.

Maria Teriosina (Lithuania) chaired the discussions on selecting the physical location of the Convention Secretariat.

CONSIDERATION OF CHEMICALS FOR INCLUSION IN ANNEX III:

The EC supported the addition of the 14 chemicals proposed. Above photo: Klaus Berend (EC)

Bill Murray, Secretariat, introduced the documents on the chemicals to be listed in Annex III by the COP under Article 8 of the Rotterdam Convention (UNEP/FAO/RC/COP.1/5-14).

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE :



Above photo (center): Maria Celina de Azevedo Rodrigues (Brazil) was elected to chair the Committee of the Whole (COW)	Masa Nagai, Secretariat, introduced the draft financial rules (UNEP/FAO/RC/COP.1/16)

COMPOSITION OF THE PIC REGIONS:


MOROCCO, with DJIBOUTI, SENEGAL, and EGYPT, noted concern over the difference between the seven FAO regions and the five UN regions being used for the purpose of Bureau elections, and called for using the UN regions as PIC regions. Above photos L-R: Fatima Dia Toure (Senegal) and Zerouali Abdelhay (Morocco)

Above photos L-R: Tarek Eid El Ruby (Egypt) and Hassan Doualeh (Djibouti)


CANADA suported the use of FAO regions for notification purposes. Above photos L-R: Barry Stemshorn and John Mundy (Canada)	Delegates agreed to convene an open-ended contact group on PIC regions, to be chaired by Argentina. Above photo: Jim Willis, Joint Executive Secretary for the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention (UNEP) in consultation with Argentinian delegates Lorenzo Gonzalez Videla and Miguel Angel Hildmann.