Interview with Christine Fuell on how the Rotterdam Convention protects human health and the environment

Just before the start of the 20th meeting of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC), we talked to Christine Fuell, Senior Technical Officer and Team Leader in FAO’s Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP) and Executive Secretary ad interim of the Rotterdam Convention.

• A curiosity: What does this Convention have to do with the city of Rotterdam? 

Like many treaties and conventions, the Rotterdam Convention got its name from the place where it was signed.

The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade was adopted and signed during a Conference in Rotterdam in 1998 and entered into force in 2004. 

• What is the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure?

Pesticides, for example, are intended to manage or even kill animals, plants, fungi or other organisms that could otherwise damage or destroy our food crops. They possess hazardous characteristics, which, in case of exposure, could lead to adverse effects for non-target organisms and on human health and the environment.

Therefore, Parties to the Convention take an informed decision on potential future imports of chemicals and pesticides listed under the Convention, consenting or not to an import. Exporting parties are obliged to adhere to those decisions.

• Does this PIC Procedure apply to all chemicals and pesticides worldwide?

As of 2023, it applies to 55 chemicals and pesticides, that are listed in the so-called Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention.

• How does a pesticide get listed under the Rotterdam Convention?

This is quite a long, complex but very thorough and science-based procedure.

The process begins when at least two countries from different PIC regions ban or severely restrict a pesticide in their own countries and notify the Secretariat of those final regulatory actions. Requiring two regions is to ensure global relevance of the taken action. In addition, developing countries and countries with an economy in transition have the opportunity to propose severely hazardous pesticide formulations that cause problems under specific conditions of use. The Secretariat verifies the notifications and forwards them to the Chemical Review Committee (CRC) for thorough review and potential recommendation of listing of the respective pesticide.

However, the final decision to list a pesticide in Annex III of the Convention is taken by the Conference of the Parties (COP), the highest authority of the Rotterdam Convention, which consists of all Parties to the Convention – currently 166 countries.

• Can you share some details about the Chemical Review Committee please?

The Committee is composed of 31 government-designated experts in chemicals management, appointed by the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention. The CRC includes members from different regions to ensure a balanced representation of developed and developing countries or countries with an economy in transition. However, members are not representing their countries but their expertise in the field of chemicals management.

The Committee reviews pesticides and chemicals based on specific criteria outlined in the Convention. For example, the chemical must have been subject to a final regulatory action by a Party to the Convention, aimed at banning or severely restricting its use to protect human health or the environment. And, this action must be based on a risk evaluation, which considers the chemical’s hazards and risks to human health and the environment.

• What will the next Chemical Review Committee meeting be about?

The 20th meeting of the Chemical Review Committee, on 17-20 September 2024 in Rome, will discuss draft decision guidance documents (DGDs) for chlorpyrifos and mercury, already recommended for listing in Annex III at the previous meeting. The expectation is to finalize these draft DGDs for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its 12th meeting (COP12) in May 2025, who will then decide on the listing in Annex III.

• What’s special about this one?

The Committee is scheduled to review up to 33 notifications of these final regulatory actions – a number never seen before! In addition, the Committee will also review four proposals for severely hazardous pesticide formulations. These are proposals made by developing countries or countries with an economy in transition that face significant health or environmental problems with these pesticide formulations under their specific conditions of use, including social, economic and climatic. And the Committee will also continue reviewing notifications of final regulatory action on chemicals such as carbaryl, chlorfenvinphos, ethion, methidathion and thiodicarb, which were discussed but not completed in the previous meeting. According to the Rules of Procedure, such items need to be again on the agenda of the next meeting.

In addition, we will organize a test session of an interactive game aimed at raising awareness on the objectives of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions developed by the Secretariat. The game introduces the topic of chemical safety to a younger audience and is based on the idea of escape games. This will be the fun part of the meeting.

• What about this pesticide chlorpyrifos to be discussed by COP in 2025?

Chlorpyrifos is commonly used in agriculture to control pests on a variety of crops. It has been linked to adverse health effects, including neurodevelopmental issues in children and potential risks to farmworkers and wildlife. Various countries have taken regulatory actions to ban or severely restrict the use of chlorpyrifos.

The inclusion of chlorpyrifos in Annex III would make it subject to the PIC procedure, enabling all Parties to take an informed decision on whether they want to use, and thus potentially import the pesticide. Such global cooperation aims to manage and mitigate risks, protecting both human health and the environment.

• What is the advantage for the Rotterdam Convention to be co-hosted by FAO?

The Rotterdam Convention is administered jointly by FAO and UNEP, drawing from the individual strengths of both Organizations.

FAO has experts at headquarters and a global network which currently covers more than 130 countries. The decentralized network includes 5 Regional Offices, 9 Subregional Offices, and 80 FAO Representations. We cooperate with Plant Protection Officers and their expert networks all around the world. 

• Good luck with the meeting and thank you for this interview.