Negotiations

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

The 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from harmful chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, and accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and wildlife. These chemicals, known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), include PCBs, DDT, and dioxins. They can lead to serious health effects including certain cancers, birth defects, dysfunctional immune and reproductive systems, greater susceptibility to disease, and damages to the central and peripheral nervous systems. Given their long-range transport, no government acting alone can protect its citizens or its environment from POPs. In response to this global problem, the Stockholm Convention requires its parties to take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment.

Events

Showing 1 - 10 of 46 results

21st Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the Stockholm Convention (POPRC-21)

Several issues highlighted the growing challenge of eliminating persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from complex global supply chains. With only one draft risk profile on the agenda, participants also focused on the need for exemptions and how best to collect information on complex chemical groups.

Event 29 September 2025 - 3 October 2025

2025 Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs)

Meeting under the theme of “Making visible the invisible,” parties adopted a series of decisions that seek to protect human health and the environment. These decisions, however, were challenged by the complexities of modern supply chains and the economic importance of chemicals and wastes.

Conference of the Parties (COP) 28 April 2025 - 9 May 2025

20th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the Stockholm Convention (POPRC-20)

Members faced the complexities of eliminating persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from complex global supply chains. Recommendations to list new chemicals all involved discussions on exemptions that would allow some ongoing uses, and how to handle downstream implications of those uses.

Event 23 September 2024 - 27 September 2024

PCB Fair: Tools and guidance to support parties achieving the 2025 and 2028 Targets on PCB

The final day of the PCB Fair featured expert insights into potential tools and guidance to support parties working to eliminate the use of PCBs in equipment by 2025 and to ensure the environmentally sound waste management of liquids containing PCBs and PCB-contaminated equipment by 2028.

Event 5 May 2023

PCB Fair: Results achieved, challenges and lessons learned on PCB elimination to meet the Stockholm Convention goals

A panel of experts share experiences with national and regional projects to eliminate PCBs discussing results achieved, challenges, and lessons learned.

Event 4 May 2023

PCB Fair: Launch of the report on progress towards elimination of PCBs

The Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (BRS) Secretariat kicked off the PCB Fair by presenting a report on progress toward eliminating PCBs and ensuring the environmentally sound waste management of chemicals and wastes, prepared in consultation with a small intersessional working group.

Event 3 May 2023

2023 Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs)

Beyond addressing resource mobilization and the illegal traffic of hazardous chemicals and wastes, delegates tried to effectiveness challenges under the Rotterdam Convention, listed new persistent organic pollutants and adopted a compliance mechanism under the Stockholm Convention, and tackled guidelines on different categories of hazardous wastes under the Basel Convention.

Conference of the Parties (COP) 1 May 2023 - 12 May 2023

18th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the Stockholm Convention (POPRC-18)

Through its expert reviews, the Committee advanced all but one of the chemicals under consideration to their next stage of being labelled as a persistent organic pollutant. Two chemicals were recommended for listing under the Stockholm Convention: Dechlorane Plus, a flame retardant, and UV-328, an ultraviolet filter used in plastics.

Event 26 September 2022 - 30 September 2022

Face-to-Face Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs)

The Basel Convention flexed its institutional muscle, while the Rotterdam Convention managed to add just two of the seven chemicals proposed to its prior informed consent procedure. The Stockholm Convention continued to list new chemicals, but it now faces the downstream consequences of that success: new chemicals bring added implementation challenges.

Conference of the Parties (COP) 6 June 2022 - 17 June 2022

17th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the Stockholm Convention (POPRC-17)

The Committee successfully adopted decisions on all six chemicals under review and either moved them on to the next stage of the review process or adopted recommendations to the Conference of the Parties to list them under the Stockholm Convention.

Event 24 January 2022 - 28 January 2022