Making communities aware of risks from pesticides
From 17 to 21 of March 2014 the project held a training, which aimed to strengthen the capacity of specialists to contribute to the reduction of risks to public health and the environment from pesticides. The issue on awareness with regard to exposure to hazardous pesticides of vulnerable groups in agriculture was one of the curtail points in the agenda of the training. In addition, special attention was dedicated to the need to strengthen data collection at field level on the use of pesticides and related poisoning incidents in order to create awareness among and a link to decision-making institutes at the national level, such as pesticide registrars.
From 7 to 11 of July the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and European Union (EU) partnership project on “Improved pesticides and chemicals management in the former Soviet Union” held two meetings on pesticide risk reduction, protecting farmers and vulnerable groups from pesticide poisoning and assisting policy makers to improve pesticide safety. Both meetings were held in Tbilisi, Georgia. The meetings brought together representatives of civil society organisations, policy makers and national exerts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan and Ukraine to work together in developing legal policy recommendations for participating countries and to initiate field research into the causes of pesticide poisoning in their countries. The findings of the research will contribute to policy recommendations and to awareness activities in each country aimed at promoting safer practices.
The way to sustainable Elimination of POPs and Obsolete Pesticides
From 27 to 29 of October 2014 the project held workshop on “The Road Map to sustainable Elimination of Obsolete Pesticides in the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia”. In order to reduce the risks, there is a need to strengthen national legislation, establish Action Plans for the disposal of obsolete pesticides and take measures to prevent their future re-accumulation; and identify the funding needs for implementing all these actions. The the workshop will be of great interest for these countries, as the results of three major studies on the options for elimination of Obsolete Pesticides waste.
Eliminating Dangerous Pesticides and Promoting Safer Agriculture in the Republic of Moldova
On 26 May 2015 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, with the financial assistance of the European Union, will be launching safeguarding and environmentally sound disposal operation of more than 400 tonnes of obsolete pesticides from the Pascani site in the Criuleni district.
The representatives from the Ministries, local authorities, Civil Society Organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization and European Union Delegation to Moldova will get together at the Pascani site to present the progress on collaborative work under the project “Improved pesticides and chemicals management in the Former Soviet Union”.