++ Envis Center - Trade & Environment ++


	Introduction

	Basel Convention

	Cartegena Protocol

	Kyoto Protocol

	Montreal Protocol

	Prior Informed Convention

	Stokholm Convention

Prior Informed Consent - Rotterdam Convention

The 1960s and the 1970s registered an increase in the international trading of chemicals which led to an increasing concern over use of pesticides and industrial chemicals, particularly in developing countries that lacked the expertise or infrastructure to ensure their safe use. This prompted the development of the International Code of Conduct for the Distribution and Use of Pesticides by the FAO and the London Guidelines for the Exchange of Information on Chemicals in International Trade by UNEP. Both the Code of Conduct and the London Guidelines include procedures aimed at making information about hazardous chemicals more readily available, thereby permitting countries to assess the risks associated with their use.

Due recognition of the situation came in the 1980s when the governments started to address this problem by establishing a voluntary Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure. PIC required exporters trading in a list of hazardous substances to obtain the prior informed consent of importers before proceeding with the trade.

In the year 1998, governments decided to strengthen the procedure by adopting the Rotterdam Convention, which makes PIC legally binding. The Convention establishes a first line of defense by giving importing countries the tools and information they need to identify potential hazards and exclude chemicals they cannot manage safely. If a country agrees to import chemicals, the Convention promotes their safe use through labeling standards, technical assistance, and other forms of support. It also ensures that exporters comply with the requirements.


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