Behind every shipment of hazardous chemicals crossing international borders, there's an urgent story of cooperation, transparency, and protection. The Rotterdam Convention, a legally binding global treaty in effect since 2004, empowers countries to take informed decisions about the import and use of hazardous chemicals and pesticides—ensuring that no country is left in the dark when hazardous substances arrive at its borders. Yet, implementing this ambitious agreement is no simple task. It requires legal frameworks, data systems, trained experts, and coordination across ministries, custom authorities and the private sector. To help countries rise to this challenge, steady progress is being made through projects implemented in Bolivia, Djibouti, Mongolia, Panama and Paraguay with the support of the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions and thanks to generous financial support of the European Union (EU). The following country highlights offer a glimpse into how these efforts are taking shape on the ground.
Panama nearing adoption of a licensing system for hazardous chemical substances
Panama lacks a system for the registration and authorization of hazardous industrial chemicals. To address this, the BRS Conventions Secretariat partnered with the Ministry of Health of Panama and the Basel and Stockholm Conventions Regional Centre in Workshops held in 2023-2024, and through consultations trained 143 representatives from government, industry, and civil society on implementation of the Rotterdam Convention. This led to a 2024 draft decree establishing a licensing system, a list of restricted chemicals, and GHS-aligned labelling rules. An updated National Action Plan now sets out implementation steps, responsible actors, and timelines.
Paraguay reforming chemicals rules and protecting health
Paraguay is addressing key gaps in chemical management through a 2024 project launched by the Secretariat in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADES) and the Basel Convention Regional Center in Uruguay. A national workshop held in August 2024 in Asunción brought together government, technical experts, and the private sector to assess needs and strengthen capacity for Rotterdam Convention implementation. A draft decree to establish a national industrial chemicals registry is now underway, along with a revised NAP, laying the foundation for stronger governance, transparency, and protection of health and the environment.
“The project empowered us to close the gaps in out chemicals management system and will help us to better control which hazardous substances come into our country.”
—Federico Schroeder, MADES, Paraguay
Mongolia progresses to close gaps in its chemicals management framework
Mongolia is advancing chemical safety and aligning with the Rotterdam Convention by modernizing its regulatory systems. Building on its existing laws on hazardous substances, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC), the Mongolian Association of Chemists, Chemical Engineers and Technologists (MACCET) and the Secretariat convened a national workshop in Ulaanbaatar in September 2024. The event brought together government, civil society, private sector, and international experts to assess gaps and chart the way forward. Since then, a NAP has been initiated, legal recommendations are being developed, and efforts to update the chemicals registry are underway—laying the groundwork for safer chemical trade, better governance, and long-term sustainability.
“The workshop was instrumental in ensuring that key stakeholders have the knowledge to fully implement the Rotterdam Convention. The update of the registration system will prove equally important in protecting our health and environment.”
— Enkhmunkh Ganbold, MECC, Mongolia
Djibouti’s roadmap to reform
Djibouti, led by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and supported by the BRS Secretariat is making strides toward full Rotterdam Convention implementation. A national workshop held in November 2024 brought together key stakeholders to unpack Convention obligations, assess national challenges, and identify solutions. Legal instruments to establish a chemicals registration system and an inter-ministerial coordination mechanism as well as a NAP are now being drafted, signalling strong political will to enhance chemical governance and protect human and environmental health.
“With the support of our partners, we are making great strides towards a comprehensive legal framework for the environmentally sound management of chemicals in our country.”
— Idriss Ismael Nour, MEDD, Djibouti
Bolivia starts its quest towards a stronger national chemicals management framework
In Bolivia, activities kicked off with a national workshop held in La Paz in May 2025, which provided an excellent basis for the completion of the import responses that Bolivia is yet to transmit. Import responses are the decisions provided by Parties indicating whether or not they will consent to import the chemicals listed in Annex III of the Convention and subject to the PIC procedure. Work is now underway to develop a draft legal instrument for chemicals management, including a registration/authorization system for industrial chemicals, and to develop a NAP.
What’s next: Regional expansion, addressing legality, and deeper commitment
Looking ahead, a regional workshop in the second half of 2025 will bring together Small Island Developing States from the Pacific Islands, expanding the Rotterdam Convention’s reach and impact. Additional regional workshops are foreseen for 2026, in Asia and in the Caribbean, focusing in particular on strengthening capacities for risk evaluations. These initiatives signal a growing commitment of Parties to the Rotterdam Convention to build robust legal and institutional infrastructures for the environmentally sound management of chemicals, and uphold the principle of shared responsibility in the international trade of hazardous chemicals.
These achievements have been made possible through the generous funding of the European Union (EU), with projects due to be implemented by national Ministries of Environment and technical partners, and support from the BRS Conventions Secretariat to ensure coordinated and sustained progress.