Rome, Italy, 21 September 2026 – International experts have taken important steps to strengthen global information exchange on hazardous chemicals, advancing recommendations to help inform and shape decisions by Parties to the Rotterdam Convention at their next meeting in Panama City, Panama (19-30 April 2027).
Meeting at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome from 15 to 18 September 2026, the Convention's Chemical Review Committee (CRC) completed a demanding scientific review of pesticides and industrial chemicals notified by Parties from around the world.
Among its most significant outcomes, the Committee finalised a draft Decision Guidance Document (DGD) for methyl-parathion and agreed to forward it, together with a recommendation to list the chemical as a pesticide in Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention, making it subject to the Convention's Prior Informed Consent procedure, for consideration by the Conference of the Parties (COP) in Panama.
Methyl-parathion is a highly hazardous organophosphorus insecticide associated with significant risks to human health, particularly through acute poisoning. While methyl-parathion is already listed in Annex III as a severely hazardous pesticide formulation (SHPF), covering specific concentrations, the Committee now considered the substance in its general use as a pesticide. If the COP decides to list the chemical in Annex III to the Convention, this would make it subject to the prior informed consent procedure under the Convention. As a result, countries would receive enhanced information to support informed decisions on future imports and would then have the obligation to respect the decisions of other Parties about whether they consent or not to such imports.
The Committee also recommended the listing of lead chromates in Annex III to the Convention. Lead chromates are industrial pigments used in paints, coatings and plastics that have raised concerns because they contain lead and chromium in its hexavalent form, both of which are known to pose significant risks to human health.
The recommendation to list lead chromates will now advance to the next stage of the review process before consideration by the COP, namely the preparation of a draft Decision Guidance Document.
"The Chemical Review Committee plays a critical role in ensuring that decisions under the Rotterdam Convention are firmly grounded in science," said Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. "The Committee's work helps countries access reliable information on hazardous chemicals and strengthens the transparency needed for informed international trade."
Yurdi Yasmi, Executive Secretary of the Rotterdam Convention (FAO), highlighted the fundamental importance of the Committee's work for governments and other stakeholders. "By helping protect human health, the environment and sustainable agricultural production, the Committee makes a vital contribution to FAO’s vision of a world where everyone, everywhere, has access to safe and nutritious food while safeguarding the natural resources, on which our agrifood systems depend."
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In addition, the Committee advanced work under the Convention's process for considering proposals for listing severely hazardous pesticide formulations under the Convention. Members agreed on two new incident report forms, one focusing on human health impacts and the other on environmental impacts. The updated tools are expected to facilitate future use by Parties and support the collection of more consistent and robust evidence on pesticide-related incidents to be used for the Committee’s consideration of severely hazardous pesticide formulations proposals.
The meeting also demonstrated the substantial workload handled by the Committee. Experts reviewed 28 notifications of final regulatory action submitted by Parties from all UN regions and assessed whether they met the Convention's criteria for further consideration.
Notes for Editors
The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure (PIC) for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, adopted in 1998 and entered into force in 2004, is jointly administered by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Environment (UNEP). The 168 Parties to this legally binding Convention share responsibility and cooperate to safely manage chemicals in international trade. The Convention does not introduce bans but facilitates the exchange of information among Parties on hazardous chemicals and pesticides, to inform and improve national decision making. In addition, through the PIC Procedure, it provides a legally binding mechanism to support national decision-making on the import and export of certain chemicals and pesticides and disseminates decisions to Parties.
The Chemical Review Committee is a subsidiary body of the Rotterdam Convention composed of government-designated experts in chemicals management. The Committee reviews notifications of final regulatory action and proposals for severely hazardous pesticide formulations against established criteria and makes recommendations to the Conference of the Parties.
For information on the Rotterdam Convention Chemical Review Committee, contact: Ms. Andrea Lechner, Programme Officer, BRS Secretariat, andrea.lechner@un.org and Mr. Mario Yarto, Agricultural Officer, Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention, mario.yarto@fao.org.
For media enquiries, contact:
Maria Cristina Cardenas-Fischer, Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor and Head of the Policy and Strategy Unit, Executive Office, BRS Secretariat, maria-cristina.cardenas@un.org and mea-brs-communications@un.org.