The Rotterdam Convention enables countries to share information about traded chemicals. When two or more countries ban or severely restrict a pesticide or industrial chemical for health or environmental reasons, this action could activate the global prior informed consent (PIC) procedure. Equipped with enhanced information on chemical risks and management options, countries can make informed decisions about allowing imports. This appears to be a straightforward mandate, yet questions about the Convention's effectiveness have persisted for the past decade.

Some reform advocates have pointed to the Convention's Chemical Review Committee (CRC), a technical body that sits at the heart of the PIC procedure. The Committee identifies chemicals that could join the Convention’s list and therefore become subject to the PIC procedure. The Committee also compiles relevant information that parties need to make their decisions.

The Committee’s work is based on notifications and information that parties provide; it does not independently review a substance’s properties or examine peer-reviewed science. The CRC evaluates countries’ notifications, which state they have taken final regulatory action to ban or severely restrict a chemical. These notifications must satisfy several Convention criteria, including evidence that the country conducted a risk assessment based on how it uses the substance. In recent years, the Committee has grappled with uncertainties and unclear information provided by countries.

At its twenty-first meeting (CRC-21), the Committee continued considering notifications from Mozambique concerning several pesticides. Mozambique gathered this information through a general survey and stakeholder meetings about farmers’ use and exposure to highly hazardous pesticides. This approach challenges the Committee’s review process, which is set out in the Convention. The information lacks specific risk data that drove the decision to ban these substances. Four pesticides were under review, and members cannot reach consensus that these substances meet the Convention’s criteria.

Similarly, the Committee continued reviewing proposals to list severely hazardous pesticide formulations. The criteria for recommending these pesticides for the PIC procedure differ from the standard review of final regulatory actions. The Convention maintains more flexible criteria to enable all countries to flag concerning pesticide formulations. This approach has sparked debates about whether reported effects, such as headaches, warrant global information exchange and import decisions.

CRC-21 convened at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy, from 23-26 September 2024.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) writers for this meeting were Jennifer Allan, Ph.D.; and Anna Dubrova. The Digital Editor was Ángeles Estrada. The Editor was Pam Chasek, Ph.D.