Stockholm Convention

Adoption Of An International Treaty To Ban World's Most Dangerous Chemicals

Since the 1950s, tens of thousands of new chemicals have been manufactured and often introduced without testing to determine their effects on our health and the environment. From the moment of our conception, we are exposed to a daily dose of these toxic chemicals through the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and some of the products in our home and workplace.

A legally binding treaty for the elimination of some of the most dangerous, toxic chemicals on earth, called persistent organic pollutants (POPs), has been negotiated by more than 120 countries. The negotiations, which have been held over the past three years, were concluded at the fifth negotiating (INC5) meeting on Pops, held in South Africa in December 2000. The treaty will be adopted in Stockholm, Sweden on May 22-23 2001.

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The treaty negotiations took place under auspices of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and includes an initial list of 12 Pops that are in urgent need for elimination. The Pops treaty will be legally binding and provide the general framework and obligations for international measures to put an end to the production and use of all existing Pops and prevent new Pops from being introduced to the market.

Background
More on the POPs Treaty

Links
UNEP POPs site


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