The amendments to list additional persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Annexes A, B and/or C of the Stockholm Convention, adopted by the Conference of the Parties of the Convention at its fourth meeting in May 2009, enter into force on 26 August 2010 for the 152 of the 170 Parties to the Stockholm Convention that have not submitted a notification or a declaration, respectively in accordance with paragraphs 3 and 4 of Article 22 of the Convention.
No notifications of non-acceptance have been received by the Depositary to date. The other 18 Parties, in accordance with paragraph 4 of Article 25 of the Convention, have declared in their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession to become a Party to the Convention, that they were bound to any amendment to Annexes A, B or C only upon deposit of their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with respect to the amendments. No such instruments have been deposited with the Depositary to date.
The amendments add the following chemicals to Annexes A, B and/or C of the Convention: alpha hexachlorocyclohexane; beta hexachlorocyclohexane; chlordecone; hexabromobiphenyl; hexabromodiphenyl ether and heptabromodiphenyl ether (commercial octabromodiphenyl ether); lindane; pentachlorobenzene; perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooactane sulfonyl fluoride; and tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether (commercial pentabromodiphenyl ether). Several of these POPs are widely used worldwide, thus Parties will have to take action, control their production and use and reduce or eliminate their release into the environment.
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To commemorate this milestone, a ceremony will take place on 26 August 2010 at the United Nations, Palais des Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland. For further information, please read the communication of the Secretariat below.
Communication by the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention
Press Release on the entry into force of POPs amendments to the Stockholm Convention
Ibadan, Nigeria, 16-19 August 2010
On 26 August 2010, the amendments to the Stockholm Convention, listing nine additional persistent organic pollutants, will enter into force. To raise awareness on the new POPs requirements and the possible implications of such listing at the national level, a series of regional workshops is organised by the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention. The next regional workshop is to be held in Ibadan, Nigeria for 24 country Parties from English-speaking Africa. The workshop also offers an opportunity to become familiar with the enhanced version of the online electronic reporting system in preparation for the second round of Party reporting. More
Brno, Czech Republic, 15-18 June 2010
The amendments to the Stockholm Convention, listing nine additional persistent organic pollutants, will enter into force on 26 August 2010. In light of this, a series of workshops is being delivered at the regional level to raise awareness on the steps to be taken by Parties to comply with their new obligations, including the process to review and update their national implementation plans. The workshops also offer an opportunity for participants to become familiar with the enhanced version of the online electronic reporting system in preparation for the second round of Party reporting pursuant to Article 15 of the Convention. More
Nairobi, Kenya, 7 - 11 June 2010
A training on implementing Integrated Vector Management (IVM) towards reduced reliance on DDT, organized by the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention, was successfully conducted at the International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi, Kenya, with the technical support of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The initiative was designed by the Global Alliance for the development and deployment of alternatives to DDT for disease vector control to support in-country capacity practice IVM approach using all available tools with cross sector coordination to overcome the complexity and cost of implementing alternatives to DDT. More
Geneva, Switzerland, 1-2 June 2010
The Ad Hoc Working Group, constituted and mandated according to the provisions made by decision SC-4/32 of the Conference of the Parties at its fourth meeting, convened its second meeting for finalizing the draft Framework for the Effectiveness Evaluation which will be reported to the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. More
The simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions was held in Bali, Indonesia, at the Bali International Convention Centre in Nusa Dua, from 22 to 24 February 2010.
The convening of three independent treaty conferences simultaneously marks a historic departure for international environmental governance. The three extraordinary meetings of the planet's leading global chemicals and wastes treaties were organized in coordination with the 11th special session of the UNEP Governing Council. More at the ExCOPs website
Ireland ratified the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants on 5 August 2010. The Convention will enter into force for Ireland on 3 November 2010. See the Status of Ratifications
Somalia acceded to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants on 26 July 2010. The Convention will enter into force for Somalia on 24 October 2010. See the Status of Ratifications
Parties are requested to submit their second reports pursuant to Article 15 through the online Electronic Reporting System. For more information, Parties can visit the Reporting page, or go directly to the login page.
The sixth meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee will be held from 11 to 15 October 2010 at the Conference Centre Varembé (CCV) in Geneva.
The 31 Committee members will gather to review the chemicals proposed for listing in Annex A, B, and/or C of the Convention and discuss other relevant issues.
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Bali, 22 Feb. 2010. The PCBs Elimination Network (PEN) was launched at the simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
See the interview on the Launch of PCBs Elimination Network (PEN) and the Global Alliance for alternatives to DDT(video)
For more information on the PEN please visit www.pops.int/pen
Bali, 22 Feb. 2010. The Global Alliance for developing alternatives to DDT for disease vector control was launched at the simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
See the interview on the Launch of the Global Alliance for alternatives to DDT and the PCBs Elimination Network (PEN) (video)
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Safe Planet: the United Nations Campaign for Responsibility on Hazardous Chemicals and Wastes invite high-profile personages and international experts to engage in a dialogue on how human biomonitoring information can support the Millennium Development Goals and World Summit on Sustainable Development 2020 target to achieve sound management of chemicals and wastes. Selected public figures volunteer to have their bodies tested and pledge to make their personal chemical "body burdens" public, to raise global awareness of the need for action on the threats posed by hazardous chemicals and wastes. The Forum will provide a sneak preview of Stefan Jarl's new film, "Submission: The defence of the unborn" (Sweden, 2010).
The UN Champions Body Burden Forum will gather major public figures involved in biomonitoring projects and information campaigns, including:
See also:
Safe Planet: the United Nations Campaign for Responsibility on Hazardous Chemicals and Wastes - Background Statement (PDF document).
UN Radio interview (7 May 2010): Safe Planet campaign tests "body burden" of celebrities to expose risk of chemicals
American Premiere of the film "Submission: The defence of the unborn"
The learning session, which was organised by the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention, aimed at presenting and interacting with participants on the opportunities offered by the Stockholm Convention to protect human health and the environment from the harmful impacts of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). A specific emphasis was put on the challenges of managing industrial chemicals contained in products or used during manufacturing processes, which was illustrated by the cases of the newly listed chemicals under the Stockholm Convention.
Side-event leaflet (PDF document)
Wednesday, 12 May 2010, from 6:15 pm to 7:45 pm, Conference Room 6, NLB
The event, which is organized by the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development (DSD/DESA), the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention, and the UNEP DTIE Chemicals Branch, officially launches the publication on "Practices in the sound management of chemicals" which aims at supporting the work of the Commission in its current cycle in assessing the present trends, emerging issues and priority areas towards the achievement of the 2020 sound management of chemicals.
The Synergies Exhibition of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions with the support of the Czech Government featured art works by leading American, Colombian, Czech and Pakistani artists, including Anila Quayyum Agha, Barbara Benish, Santiago Cardenas, Brian Collier, Christopher Edgar, Chris Jordan, Floyd Newsum, Milos Sejn and Sharon Sprung.
The exhibition was presented at the Czech Center New York (321 E 73rd St.).
This panel, which was sponsored by International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN), Commonweal, and the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention, described the UNEP/WHO milk monitoring program and discussed the significance of POPs and other industrial chemicals in human milk. It also described how monitoring results can be communicated in ways that ultimately lower the levels of POPs chemicals in all our bodies while supporting breastfeeding.