No. 047/04
Berlin, 22.02.2004

International Convention on the trade in chemicals enters into force

Trittin promotes Bonn as the seat of the future Secretariat

The Rotterdam Convention on the international trade in dangerous chemicals enters into force on Tuesday (24 February). Federal Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin appreciated the entry into force as a milestone for a new international chemicals policy. "In the long run, only those chemicals will be produced, traded in and used whose burden to the environment and health is limited to a tolerable degree", said the Minister. Jürgen Trittin repeated the offer to host the Secretariat of the Convention in Bonn. The decision on this will be taken at the first Conference of the Parties in Geneva in September 2004.

According to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) estimates, about 1 million poisonings resulting in about 20,000 deaths were caused by pesticides alone in the 90s, particularly in lesser developed countries. This led to the conclusion of the Rotterdam Convention in 1998. It was the first convention to lay down rules on the international trade in hazardous chemicals that were binding according to international law. The core point: The hazardous chemicals covered by the Convention may only be exported from their country of origin if the importing country has been informed about the hazards of the substances and agreed to the import. This so-called PIC procedure ("prior informed consent") has given the convention its name.

The PIC Convention covers 27 chemicals - 22 pesticides and 5 industrial chemicals - including DDT, pentachlorophenol (PCP) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). In November 2003, the way will be paved for the entry of all carcinogenic types of asbestos into the Convention.

In view of the importance of the chemicals industry in Germany and the global responsibility arising from the experience in handling chemicals Germany has had for decades, the Federal government decided to apply for the seat of the Secretariat to be established in Bonn. The Secretariat of the PIC Convention would be at its right place on the UN Campus, the former parliamentary district", said Federal Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin. The German government offers financial support of € 1.5 million for the first year and € 1 million per year subsequently.

Of the 120 signatories, amongst them the EU Member States, the USA and Russia, more than 50 countries have now ratified the Convention, including Germany. This automatically makes the Convention enter into force. "It is our aim to prevent international trade in chemicals to cause any intolerable burden to human health and the environment, especially in developing countries", said Jürgen Trittin. The aim is to enable developing countries and threshold countries to establish an infrastructure for a chemicals management along these lines by means of cooperation projects and technology transfer. The Minister added that "Germany has taken responsibility as one of the biggest chemicals exporting countries for many years. In the past 15 years, development aid projects on chemical safety with a volume of about € 320 million have been initiated."

Besides Germany, Switzerland and Italy have also applied to host the PIC Secretariat. Parts of the interim Secretariat are already located in these two countries, at the FAO in Rome and UNEP Chemicals in Geneva. In Germany's view, the efficiency of the work of the Secretariat would benefit greatly from uniting the two parts in one place. Accomodating the PIC Secretariat in Bonn would mean another important step forward in the plans of the Federal government to turn Bonn into a seat of international organisations in the fields of the environment, development and health.