Rotterdam Convention | 9 November 2021 - 9 December 2021 | National Followup workshops for the lifecycle management of industrial chemicals in support of Final Regulatory Actions (FRAs) under the Rotterdam Convention, for Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Rwanda

Background information: The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade establishes an international mechanism to regulate the trade of pesticides and industrial chemicals that are contained in its Annex III. Despite the entry into force in 2004 of the Rotterdam Convention and the progressive inclusion of chemicals to its Annex III, most developing countries lack capabilities to assess national exposure and conduct risk evaluation of chemicals, necessary to take import decisions for Annex III chemicals.

Chemicals that have been banned or severely restricted for health or environmental reasons are listed in Annex III based on the notifications of Final Regulatory Actions (FRAs) by the Parties. Some developing countries have very limited capacity to assess exposures, evaluate and undertake risk evaluations and assessments that are scientifically sound. Thus, the notifications under the Convention appear to decline, both in number and quality depending on the Annex I and Annex II criteria of the Convention.