UNEP's Responses - International Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Sustainable
Agri-Food Production
and Consumption
Forum

	Introduction
	Cleaner Production
	Sustainable Consumption
	Environmental impact of trade measures
	Water pollution assessment
	International Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
	Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC)
	Convention to Combat Desertification
	Bio-safety Protocol
	Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

UNEP's RESPONSES -
International Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

This convention is an international legally binding instrument for implementing international action on certain organic pollutants. It is under negotiation by an intergovernmental negotiating committee with a view concluding of a legally binding instrument by the year 2000.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. With the evidence of long-range transport of these substances to regions where they have never been used or produced and the consequent threats they pose to the environment of the whole globe, the international community has now, at several occasions called for urgent global actions to reduce and eliminate releases of these chemicals.

To find out what chemicals are identified as POPs and what UNEP is doing to facilitate the convention negotiation, please visit: http://www.chem.unep.ch/pops/

Last Update: 10 August, 2001