About the convention

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and wildlife, and have adverse effects on human health or to the environment.  Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) can lead serious health effects including certain cancers, birth defects, dysfunctional immune and reproductive systems, greater susceptibility to disease and even diminished intelligence.  Given their long range transport, no one government acting alone can protect is citizens or its environment from POPs.  In response to this global problem, the Stockholm Convention, which was adopted in 2001 and entered into force in 2004, requires Parties to take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment.  The Convention is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme and is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was adopted at a Conference of Plenipotentiaries on 22 May 2001 in Stockholm, Sweden. The Convention entered into force on 17 May 2004, ninetieth day after the date of deposit of the fiftieth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession in respect of the Convention.

Article 18 of the Convention requires the Conference of the Parties to adopt arbitration and conciliation procedures to govern the settlement of disputes between Parties to the Convention. At its first meeting held in Punta del Este, Uruguay from 2 to 6 May 2005, the Conference of the Parties adopted decision SC-1/2, by which it established such procedures. The procedures are set out in Annex G, which entered into force on 27 March 2007 (Reference: C.N.1017.2007.TREATIES-14).

At its fourth meeting held in Geneva from 4 to 8 May 2009, the Conference of the Parties adopted amendments to Annexes A, B and C by decisions SC-4/10, 4/11, 4/12, 4,/13, 4/14, 4/15, 4/16, 4/17 and 4/18 to list additional nine chemicals in the respective annexes: alpha hexachlorocyclohexane; beta hexachlorocyclohexane; chlordecone; hexabromobiphenyl; hexabromodiphenyl ether and heptabromodiphenyl ether; lindane; pentachlorobenzene; perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride; and tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether. The amendment was communicated by the depositary to all Parties on 26 August 2009 (Reference: C.N.524.2009.TREATIES-4).

At its fifth meeting held in Geneva from 25 to 29 April 2011, the Conference of the Parties adopted an amendment to Annex A by decision SC-5/3 to list technical endosulfan and its related isomers in the annex. The amendment was communicated by the depositary to all Parties on 27 October 2011 (Reference: C.N.703.201.TREATIES-8).

In accordance with paragraphs 3 (b) and 3 (c) and paragraph 4 of Article 22 of the Convention, any Party that is unable to accept an amendment to Annex A, B or C shall so notify the depositary, in writing, within one year from the date of communication by the depositary of the adoption of the amendment. The depositary shall without delay notify all Parties of any such notification received. A Party may at any time withdraw a previous notification of non-acceptance in respect of any amendment to Annex A, B or C, and the amendment shall thereupon enter into force for that Party subject to paragraph 3 (c) of Article 22. On the expiry of one year from the date of the communication by the depositary of the adoption of the amendment to Annex A, B or C, the amendment shall enter into force for all Parties that have not submitted a notification in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3 (b) of Article 22.

In accordance with paragraph 4 of Article 22, an amendment to Annex A, B or C shall not enter into force with respect to any Party that has made a declaration with respect to any amendment to those Annexes in accordance with paragraph 4 of Article 25, in which case any such amendment shall enter into force for such a Party on the ninetieth day after the date of deposit with the depositary of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with respect to such amendment.

Convention text as amended in 2009 and 2011
Depositary notification in 2009
Depositary notification in 2011
Legal Matters

To become a Party to the Convention a State or regional economic integration organization needs to submit its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession to the depositary.  The list of Parties and Signatories to the Stockholm Convention is available in the Status of Ratifications page.

Parties nominate official contact points for the purpose of administrative functions and all official communications under the Convention.  Parties shall also nominate national focal points for the purpose of information exchange pursuant to Article 9 of the Convention.   The forms for making these nominations and the updated list of Stockholm Convention official contact points and national focal points for the purpose of information exchange pursuant to Article 9 can be found here.

Click on the map located in the left to view an interactive world map showing the current status of ratifications.

Note: The boundaries shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention, the United Nations Environment Programme or the United Nations.

Enhancing coordination and cooperation among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions are multilateral environmental agreements, which share the common objective of protecting human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals and wastes. These agreements can assist countries to manage chemicals at different stages of their life-cycle.

Recognizing the potential for synergistic work under the three conventions at the national, regional and global levels, the international community has worked over the past years on enhancing cooperation and coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention. These efforts culminated in the adoption of recommendations on enhancing cooperation and coordination among the three conventions by the three Conferences of the Parties held in 2008 and 2009, and the holding of simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in Bali, Indonesia in February 2010.

For more information, please consult the synergies joint website.

Under the Stockholm Convention there are four types of observers:

1. States not Party to the Convention (“Non-Party States”);

2. United Nations, its specialized agencies, International Atomic Energy Agency and the Global Environment Facility ;

3. National and international intergovernmental bodies and agencies accredited by the Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention;

4. National and international nongovernmental bodies and agencies accredited by the Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention.

Non-Party States may nominate contact points for communications concerning matters pertaining to the Convention.  Non-Party States may nominate official contact points for administrative and other formal communications using this form and may nominate national focal points for the exchange of information pursuant to Article 9 of the Convention using this form.

National and international nongovernmental bodies or agencies qualified in matters covered by the Convention that wish to be acceded to meetings of the Conference of the Parties submit information listed in the attached to the Secretariat for consideration by the Conference at its next ordinary meeting.