EXEC CUTIVE BO OARD 134th session Prov visional age enda item 8.5
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Internation nal Co ode of Conduc C ct n Pesti icide Manage M ement on Repor rt by the Secretariat 1. The Intern national Code e of Conduc ct on Pestici ide Managem ment has be een develope ed under the e guida ance of the WHO W and FA AO expert p anels on pes sticide manag gement with h the support t of the legal l office es of the two o organization ns and input from the Un nited Nations s Environmen nt Programm me. 2. The Code provides a voluntary v fr ramework fo or the compr rehensive ma anagement of o pesticides s throu ughout their life cycles. Its I main obj jective is to establish vo oluntary stan ndards of con nduct for all l publi ic and privat te entities en ngaged in or associated with w the man nagement of f pesticides (see ( Annex). . The Code is des signed for use u within t the context of national legislation. It describes s the shared d respo onsibility of many sector rs of society y to work to ogether, and addresses th he need for cooperation n betwe een governm ments of countries that ex xport pestici ides and those that impo ort pesticides s in order to o minim mize potenti ial associate ed health an nd environm mental risks. The Code promotes training t and d capac city-building g aimed at fac cilitating the e implementa ation and obs servance of it ts provisions s. 3. The Code is based on the FAO’s p previous Int ternational Code C of Cond nduct on the Distribution n and U Use of Pestic cides. That Code, C howev ver, did not place a parti icular empha asis on the public p health h aspec cts of pesticides. The new w Internation nal Code of Conduct on Pesticide M Management encompasses e s sound d manageme ent of pesticides from a p public health h perspective and gives at ttention to th he protection n of hu umans, anima als and the en nvironment f from risks of f pesticides. 4. The text of f the Code, finalized f in t the 6th FAO O/WHO Joint Meeting on n Pesticide Management M t (Rom me, 9–12 Oct tober 2012), was adopted d by the 38t th FAO Conference in re esolution 3/2 2013 in June e 2013. The Confer rence noted that t full cons sultation amo ong all FAO Members an nd stakeholders had been n ed out, includ ding through h a joint meet ting of the Bureau B of the FAO Comm mittee on Agr riculture and d carrie the FA AO/WHO Jo oint Meeting g on Pesticide e Manageme ent. 5. The FAO Conference C also welcom med the prop posal that the e Code be ad dopted by th he governing g bodie es of WHO and a UNEP. 6. The Code will w provide support to th he continuin ng joint effor rts of WHO a and FAO in building the e capac city of both their t Membe er States for t the sound management of o pesticides,, as was requ uested by the e Healt th Assembly y in resolutio on WHA63.2 26 on improv vement of health through gh sound man nagement of f obsol lete pesticide es and other obsolete o che emicals. ACT TION BY TH HE EXECUT TIVE BOAR RD 7. The Board d is invited d to take n note of the Internationa al Code of f Conduct on o Pesticide e Mana agement.
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ANNEX INTERNATIONAL CODE OF CONDUCT ON PESTICIDE MANAGEMENT Article 1. Objectives of the Code 1.1 The objectives of this Code are to establish voluntary standards of conduct for all public and private entities engaged in or associated with the management of pesticides, particularly where there is inadequate or no national legislation to regulate pesticides. 1.2 The entities which are addressed by this Code include governments, international organizations, pesticide industry, application equipment industry, traders of pesticides, pest control operators (PCOs), food industry and other industries that use or have an interest in pesticides, pesticide users, and public-interest groups such as environmental groups, consumer groups and trade unions. 1.3 The Code is designed for use within the context of national legislation as a basis whereby relevant entities addressed by the Code may determine whether their proposed actions and/or the actions of others constitute acceptable practices. 1.4 The Code describes the shared responsibility of many sectors of society to work together so that the benefits to be derived from the necessary and acceptable use of pesticides are achieved without significant adverse effects on human and animal health and/or the environment. To this end, all references in this Code to a government or governments shall be deemed to apply equally to regional groupings of governments for matters falling within their areas of competence. 1.5 The Code addresses the need for a cooperative effort between governments of pesticide exporting and importing countries to promote practices that minimize potential health and environmental risks associated with pesticides, while ensuring their effective use. 1.6 The Code recognizes that relevant training at all appropriate levels is an essential requirement in implementing and observing its provisions. Therefore, entities addressed by the Code should give high priority to relevant training and capacity building activities related to each Article of the Code. 1.7 The standards of conduct set forth in this Code: 1.7.1 encourage responsible and generally accepted trade practices;
1.7.2 assist countries which have not yet established regulatory controls on the quality and suitability of pesticide products needed in that country to promote the judicious and efficient use of such products and address the potential risks associated with their use; 1.7.3 promote practices which reduce risks throughout the lifecycle of pesticides, with the aim of minimizing adverse effects on humans, animals and the environment and preventing accidental poisoning resulting from handling, storage, transport, use or disposal, as well as from the presence of pesticide residues in food and feed; 1.7.4 ensure that pesticides are used effectively and efficiently and in a manner that contributes to the sustainable improvement of agriculture, public and animal health and the environment;
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1.7.5 adopt the “life-cycle” approach to management of pesticides to address all major aspects related to the development, registration, production, trade, packaging, labelling, distribution, storage, transport, handling, application, use, disposal and monitoring of pesticides and pesticide residues as well as management of pesticide waste and pesticide containers; 1.7.6 are designed to promote Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated Vector Management (IVM); 1.7.7 promote participation in information exchange and international agreements identified below, in particular the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade.
RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL POLICY INSTRUMENTS International policy instruments in the field of chemical management, environmental and health protection, sustainable development and international trade, relevant to the Code 1. International policy instruments which address one or more aspects of the life cycle of a pesticide include, but are not limited to, the ones listed below. Some have direct operational implications for pesticide distribution and use, while others provide a more general policy context. Dates of entry into force are given for those instruments that were legally binding at the time of adoption of the revision of this Code. 2. International policy instruments with direct operational implications for pesticide management1 • The Codex Alimentarius, and more specifically the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues, operational since 1966; • The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, adopted in 1987 and entered into force in 1989, and its subsequent amendments; • The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, adopted in 1989 and entered into force in 1992; • The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, adopted in 1998 and entered into force in 2004; • The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, adopted in 2001 and entered into force in 2004.
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Detailed references are given in Annex 1 of the Code.
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International policy instruments that provide a general policy context for pesticide management • The Convention concerning Safety and Health in Agriculture, ILO, adopted in 2001 and entered into force in 2003; • The Convention concerning Safety in the Use of Chemicals at Work, adopted in 1990 and entered into force in 1993; • Convention concerning the prohibition and immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour, ILO, Geneva, 1999; • The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, proclaimed by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992; • Agenda 21 – Global Programme of Action on Sustainable Development, and more specifically chapters 14 (Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development) and 19 (Environmentally Sound Management of Toxic Chemicals, Including Prevention of Illegal International Traffic in Toxic and Dangerous Products), adopted in 1992; • The Convention on Biological Diversity, adopted in 1992 and entered into force in 1993; • The Convention concerning the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents, adopted in 1993 and entered into force in 1997; • The Rome Declaration on World Food Security and The World Food Summit Plan of Action, adopted in 1996; • The World Health Declaration and Health-for-all in the 21st Century, adopted in 1998; • The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, adopted in 2006 by the International Conference on Chemicals Management; and • The Globally harmonized system for the classification and labeling of chemicals (GHS).
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