This year the 15th meeting of the FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management (JMPM) was held at the FAO HQ in Rome from 15 to 18 November. The meeting brought together FAO and WHO Panel members and regional officers, intergovernmental organizations, UNEP and OECD, and relevant stakeholders of industry, nongovernmental organizations and civil society. This first post COVID-19 JMPM meeting has happened in the hybrid form, both in person and virtually.

The meeting was opened by FAO Plant Production and Protection Division Director, Mr. Jingyuan Xia, who welcomed all participants and highlighted the important role of the JMPM in supporting the FAO's strategic framework, as well as Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and tackling the root causes of poverty and hunger, building a fairer society and leaving no one behind.

Dr Raman Velayudhan, Director a.i. of the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases at WHO, highlighted the importance of regulating pesticides for vector-borne disease control in the context of the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management (the CoC).  

The JMPM discussed different aspects of the work related to the implementation of the CoC and provided support to its implementation by reviewing and endorsing guidance documents, addressing global challenges and priorities in pesticide management, such as highly hazardous pesticides and judicious use of pesticides for agricultural and public health purposes.

The meeting endorsed three guidance documents that will soon be available on the website:
•    Guidance on utilising pesticide regulation to prevent suicides;
•    Guidance on aerial application of pesticides;
•    Guidance on data requirements for the registration of pesticides.

It also endorsed the guidance on Good labelling practice for pesticides and discussed the development of two new guidance documents on online sales of pesticides and their illegal trade. These new guidelines are of pivotal importance in today’s world to tackle risks to human health and the environment, as well as for their impact on international trade.

The meeting also invited representative of indigenous people, i.e., International Indian Treaty Council, to present and discuss the issues of protecting indigenous people from negative impacts of pesticides. FAO and WHO staff presented and discussed human rights in pesticide management, and recommended future actions and work to address them appropriately.

The JMPM recommended the initiation of the revision process of the Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management (CoC), taking into account important issues discussed in the meeting.