Resolution V/11: Highly hazardous pesticides
The Conference,
Mindful of the goal expressed in the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development of aiming to achieve, by 2020, that chemicals are used and produced in ways that lead to the minimization of significant adverse impacts on human health and the environment, and of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015,
Recalling its resolution IV/3 on highly hazardous pesticides, which recognized highly hazardous pesticides as an issue of concern and called for concerted action to address highly hazardous pesticides in the context of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management,
Recalling also target A7 of the Global Framework on Chemicals – For a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste, which states that by 2035, stakeholders have taken effective measures to phase out highly hazardous pesticides in agriculture where the risks have not been managed and where safer and affordable alternatives are available; and to promote transition to and make available those alternatives,
Building on the submission presented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations at the third meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the International Conference on Chemicals Management about scaling up efforts to address highly hazardous pesticides globally, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Health Organization and others, [1]
Noting that resolution IV/3 recognized that highly hazardous pesticides cause adverse human health and environmental effects in many countries, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries,
Taking into account the principles and approaches mentioned in section IV of the Global Framework on Chemicals – For a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste,
Taking note of paragraphs 84 and 86 of the report [2] of the 131st session of the Council of the Food and Agricultural Organization, which recognized that organization’s role in the Strategic Approach and suggested that its activities in the framework of the Strategic Approach could include risk reduction, including the progressive ban on highly hazardous pesticides, promoting good agricultural practices, ensuring environmentally sound disposal of stockpiles of obsolete pesticides, and capacity-building in establishing national and regional laboratories,
Affirming the importance of the contributions of the Global Framework on Chemicals – For a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular target 2.4 [3] on sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices that help maintain ecosystems and target 3.9 on substantially reducing the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination,
Recognizing with appreciation the significant work being done by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Health Organization and others to raise awareness of and inform and guide pesticide regulators, industry, civil society and other stakeholders on the identification and elimination of unacceptable risks from highly hazardous pesticides,
Noting that the final report of the independent evaluation of the Strategic Approach from 2006 to 2015” [4] found that increased effort by Strategic Approach stakeholders to work in partnership to take action on highly hazardous pesticides and promote agroecology would both protect and enhance biodiversity and minimize the adverse impacts on health from exposure to chemical inputs for vulnerable groups,
1. Endorses the formation of a global alliance on highly hazardous pesticides with the goal of taking effective measures to phase out highly hazardous pesticides in agriculture where the risks have not been managed and where safer and affordable alternatives are available; and to promote transition to and make available those alternatives, as a voluntary multi-stakeholder initiative under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Health Organization;
2. Invites all interested stakeholders to become members of the global alliance on highly hazardous pesticides referred to in paragraph 1 above and commit themselves to its overall goal and, where appropriate, to contribute financial or in-kind resources or expertise towards the development and implementation of its activities;
3. Requests the global alliance on highly hazardous pesticides to support the implementation of relevant targets set by the Conference at its fifth session, and, in particular, to develop and implement an action plan with clear targets and milestones for progress, developed in consultation with stakeholders and guided by the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management (2014) and the related Guidelines on Highly Hazardous Pesticides (2016), which define the highly hazardous pesticides criteria and describe the approach to managing risk; this work is to build on “Initial considerations and elements of an action plan on highly hazardous pesticides”, [5] prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, in the following areas:
(a) Raising awareness of the human health and environmental impacts of highly hazardous pesticides;
(b) Identifying and promoting safer and more sustainable agricultural practices, including agroecology, integrated pest management and the use of non-chemical alternatives;
(c) Sharing examples of countries having successfully phased out highly hazardous pesticides;
(d) Supporting low- and middle-income countries in their efforts to strengthen national regulatory frameworks and phase out highly hazardous pesticides in agriculture where the risks have not been managed and where safer and affordable alternatives are available; and to promote transition to and make available those alternatives;
(e) Mobilizing support for farmers and agricultural workers in their transition from the use of highly hazardous pesticides, where the risks have not been managed, towards less hazardous alternatives;
(f) Supporting the agrifood supply chain in a transition from highly hazardous pesticides to safer and affordable alternatives, where available and where the risks have not been managed;
4. Invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Health Organization, within the scope of their respective mandates and available resources, to coordinate the work of the global alliance on highly hazardous pesticides, with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations taking the lead role;
5. Invites the global alliance on highly hazardous pesticides to report on progress to the Conference at its next session and to relevant regional meetings.
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[1] See document SAICM/OEWG.3/INF/9, p. 67, available at https://www.saicm.org/About/OEWG/OEWGmeetings/tabid/5984/language/en-US/Default.aspx.
[2] The relevant extract from the report is available at CL 131/REP (fao.org).
[3] “By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.”
[4] SAICM/ICCM.5/INF/1.
[5] See document SAICM/ICCM.5/INF/16, p. 26.