At its fifth meeting, by decisions SC-5/4 and SC-5/6 respectively, the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants requested the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee, to assess alternatives to endosulfan and DDT in accordance with the general guidance on considerations related to alternatives and substitutes to listed persistent organic pollutants and candidate chemicals (UNEP/POPS/POPRC.5/10/Add.1) on the basis of information provided by parties and observers.
Parties and observers submitted information on chemical and nonchemical alternatives to both endosulfan and DDT, which were compiled by the Secretariat for consideration by the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee.
At its seventh meeting held in October 2011, the Committee reviewed the information and identified gaps in that information. The Committee established an intersessional working group to assess the information on alternatives to endosulfan in accordance with the workplan set out in annex I to decision POPRC-7/4 and on chemical alternatives to DDT identified in document UNEP/POPS/POPRC.7/INF/19, in accordance with the workplan set out in annex I to decision POPRC-7/8.
Additional information on alternatives to endosulfan was collected from parties and observers, on the gaps identified. The intersessional working group developed a methodology for the assessment of chemical alternatives to endosulfan and DDT, as well as a methodology for the evaluation of non-chemical alternatives to endosulfan. The working group then assessed the information on alternatives to both chemicals and developed three draft reports.
Documents
The following documents were sent from the Secretariat to the Official Contact Points and National Focal Points:
Parties and observers are invited to review and provide technical comments on the draft reports on alternatives to endosulfan and DDT to the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee by 22 June 2012.
Submissions will be appreciated in electronic files by e-mail to:
ssc@pops.int and awarmuth@pops.int.
Should this not be possible please forward hard copies to:
Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention
Att: POPs Review Committee
Ms. Andrea Warmuth
United Nations Environment Programme
11-13 chemin des Anémones
CH-1219, Chatelaine, Geneva, Switzerland
Fax: +41 (0) 22 917 8098
If you have any further questions regarding this invitation or if you would like to receive hard copies of the documents from the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee, please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Andrea Warmuth (e-mail: awarmuth@pops.int; telephone +41 22 917 8853).
View comments on the draft reports on alternatives to endosulfan and DDT