The future of international environmental law - Introduction to International Environmental Law - page 192

Developing nations and transition economies are also entitled to propose addi-
tions of hazardous pesticides.
The Stockholm Convention 4 was adopted in 2001, and entered into force in
2004. At the time when the regional persistent organic pollutants (POP)
Protocol was adopted to the LRTAP Convention in 1998, there was a demand
for universal control of these chemicals. Above all, the 'dirty dozen' among POP
compounds was to be eliminated, including, for example, PCB and aldrin. The
introduction to the Convention states that they 'possess toxic properties, resist
degradation, bioaccumulate and are transported, through air, water and migra-
tory species, across international boundaries and deposited far from their place of
release, where they accumulate in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems'. The parties
committed to ban the production and usage, and the import and export,
of the 12 POP compounds listed in Annex A, and to limit the production and
usage of chemicals listed in Annex B. Measures to reduce or eliminate emissions
unintentionally produced (Annex C) require a plan of action by the parties.
These three Conventions have much in common. Their objective is to
protect human health and the environment and each of them applies to most
POP compounds and to a large number of pesticides. They also contain
import and export rules. The Basel and Stockholm Conventions include rules
related to waste processing and management. They were negotiated under the
auspices of the UNEP and they are institutionally connected with it.
The Rotterdam Convention was negotiated under the auspices of the UNEP
and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The Conventions stipulate that technical assistance must be provided to
developing countries. The Basel and Stockholm Conventions have established
regional centres for education and technology, while the Rotterdam
Convention operates through the regional offi ces of FAO and UNEP. The
Basel and Stockholm Conventions have the greater number of parties (Basel
179, and Stockholm 178), but cooperation between the treaty regimes is
expected to increase the number of parties to the Rotterdam Convention
(150) as well. 5
The meetings of the parties to all these conventions have similar duties, such
as assessing whether the conventions are effi ciently implemented. They share
similar technical-scientifi c bodies: the Stockholm Persistent Organic Pollutants
Review Committee, the Rotterdam Chemical Review Committee, and the
Basel Open-ended Working Group. The Basel Convention has had a compli-
ance committee established since 2002 and the two other Conventions are in
the process of developing similar committees. The dispute settlement procedures
of the Conventions are similar and the secretariats have roughly similar tasks.
Cooperation began in 2006 when the three meetings of the parties estab-
lished the Ad Hoc Joint Working Group on enhancing cooperation and
coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
(AHJWG). It was composed of representatives of 15 countries that were party
to all three Conventions; the process was led by Chile, China and Finland,