INC5 UPDATES

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This page contains all the relevant news for INC4 in chronological order.
[Earlier news]

Updates from the Fourth UNEP POPs negotiation round in Bonn - March 20-25, 2000.

Dioxin Briefing for the EPA Senior Management
May 10, 2000.

Developing/transitional countries NGOs statement on incineration and need for Clean Destruction Technologies for Pops stockpiles.

SATURDAY 25 MARCH - NEGOTIATIONS END WITHOUT AGREEMENT ON KEY ISSUES

The fourth negotiation round of the UNEP Pops treaty in Bonn, Germany, ended today with no agreements on the key issues.

For the first time since the negotiations started in 1998, the vast majority of the 121 countries that were participating in the INC4 negotiations seemed determined to move the key issues on the negotiations agenda forward in a positive direction, including dioxin elimination, substitution of Pops polluting materials, products and processes and a ban on industrial chemicals and pesticides with Pops properties.

Only a small minority of countries, led by the US, is still opposing dioxin elimination and other provisions that will make it a strong treaty with obligations for both developed and developing countries. Instead they are attempting to built in loopholes and exemptions to weaken the treaty to protect their own polluting practices and continue business as usual.

It is imperative that this small minority of countries go back home to reconsider their positions and go with the majority at INC5.

The next round of the negotiations (INC5) will be held in South Africa, on 4-9 of December 2000 and, if agreement on the draft treaty will be reached, the treaty will be adopted in Stockholm at a diplomatic conference early 2001.

Key issues that have been discussed but not agreed upon include:

Dioxin elimination: The vast majority of countries want to include the aim to eliminate the unintentionally produced by-products such as dioxins and furans in the draft text of the treaty. A small minority has still not lifted their objections. The draft text still contains many brackets to negotiate at the next negotiation round.

Substitution: The substitution of materials, products and processes to prevent by-product Pops such as dioxins is supported by a majority and opposed by again a small number of countries. Essential parts of the text remain in brackets.

No New Pops: The EU proposed a draft text at INC3 and in general it is accepted that countries should not introduce new Pops (pesticides and industrial chemicals with Pops characteristics) on the market in the future. But INC4 did not succeed in agreeing on the text, e.g. whether it will be included as an obligation or just a weak recommendation. This will go to INC5 as well for further discussion.

Precautionary Principle: The majority wants the precautionary principle included in the main articles that are dealing with the elimination of intentional, unintentional and new Pops A small US led minority is seeking to lift it from the main body of the treaty in order to weaken it's meaning.The meeting did not find a final agreement.

General exemptions: The US put a proposal forwards for a 'de minimus' (allowing so-called acceptable levels of Pops) approach and other general exemptions for Pops This would undermine the treaty once it enters into force and allow them to continue production and use Pops This remains on the negotiations agenda.

Clean up of existing stockpiles: The majority of countries want to include the clean up of existing stockpiles of Pops pesticides, PCBs and other Pops and remediation of contaminated sites included in the treaty. Only the US proposed to delete this from the treaty text. There are many existing stockpiles of obsolete Pops pesticides in developing countries.

Financial and technical assistance programs: In order to implement the treaty once it enters into force, the developing countries request mandatory financial assistance from rich countries. This has met opposition from some rich countries such as the US. This was not resolved at this weeks negotiations.

An IPEN questionnaire (see link below) among delegates at the meeting showed support for elimination of dioxins from over 70 countries while 16 opposed it. Some countries have no public position yet.

IPEN Table of Countries' Positions at the end of the meeting.

PRESS RELEASE: SATURDAY 25 MARCH - UN TREATY TALKS ON ELIMINATION OF TOXIC CHEMICALS UNDERMINED

THURSDAY 23 MARCH 2000 - DAY 4 - GROWING SUPPORT FOR STRONG TREATY

Discussions on all issues continued during the day yesterday. The good news is that there is growing and strong majority support from developing countries, the EU and some other countries to make this a strong treaty. A strong treaty that will not only put an obligation on developing countries to further ban production and use of the listed nine UNEP Pops pesticides, but also include obligations to mainly industrialized countries to ban unwanted byproducts such as dioxins from industrial processes globally and stop introducing new Pops on the market and in the environment. And obligations to industrialized countries to assist financially and technically in the implementation of the elimination of Pops and the clean up of existing stockpiles of pesticides, PCB's and other Pops

However, the US and other JUSSCANZ are still leading a minority opposition to block the elimination of dioxins and implementation aspects of the treaty to protect their own polluting practices and continue business as usual.

On Thursday, IPEN conducted a survey among delegates from the 121 countries that are participating in the INC4 negotiations. The result was that a majority of 72 countries is supporting the elimination of dioxins while a minority of 16 is opposed it. The remaining countries no position yet or not they have not communicated their position. The questionnaire will be repeated on Friday and may be subject to changes. Read the final results

Support is from EU, Africa (except South Africa) Arabic countries, many Asian countries (incl. Bangladesh, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Vietnam), Jamaica, Micronesia, Seychelles, Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Macedonia.

Opposition from JUSSCANZ, Iceland, India, South Africa, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Moldavia, Thailand, Ukraine and Venezuela. China, Latin American countries and some others have not revealed their positions yet.

Despite their minority position, the US is outnumbering and dominating all meetings and submeetings as they have the biggest delegation (27 registered delegates) In contrast, many developing countries have an average of 1 or 2 . This reflects the mission of the US to weaken the treaty and block language in the treaty that goes beyond their national interest, such as dioxin elimination.

Today discussions will continue, including on elimination of dioxins, clean up of stockpiles and financial assistance programs.

Also Today: Greenpeace concludes the blockade of waste destined for incineration in Hong Kong.

For pictures of local indigenous tribes outside the venue on Thursday and detailed updates with real audio of speeches see the IISD website

WEDNESDAY 23 MARCH - DAY 3 - DIOXIN ELIMINATION

As expected, the elimination of dioxins is the issue that is polarizing the debate at the fourth round of the negotiations for the global Pops treaty here in Bonn. A majority of countries, including many developing countries and the EU are calling for dioxin elimination, while a minority of countries under the lead of the US is still blocking dioxin elimination. Countries calling for dioxin elimination during the first days of the meeting include Nigeria, Gambia, Zambia, Malaysia, Philippines, Nepal, Jamaica, Arabic countries, Norway and the European Union (EU).

During the meeting, it became clear that the US is against the elimination of existing dioxin sources but also wants to be allowed to further expand it's dioxin emitting industries and processes. On Wednesday they proposed to not only delete "the aim of elimination" but also delete the "goal of reduction" of dioxin releases from the draft treaty text and limit the scope of the treaty for dioxins to "continuous minimization" which will allow for expansion of dioxin sources and eventually the total release of dioxins.

Dioxins are among the most toxic substances known to science and have environmental and health impacts in many parts of the world, specifically in industrialized countries where the dioxin contamination is the highest, including the US.

The meeting is also divided on many of the other key issues they are trying to resolve this week. The group of African countries, the EU and Norway put forward proposals to prevent dioxin (and other byproduct) sources through the substitution of materials, products or technologies that produce them by Pops free alternatives. This again met strong resistance from the US and other JUSSCANZ countries.

Developing countries are also demanding financial and technical assistance from rich countries -who introduced and produced most of the Pops in the first place- in order to be able to implement the Pops treaty once it enters into force. While some industrial countries, including certain EU countries could agree with that, others, including the US, are still opposed.

One issue where most countries agreed is that existing stockpiles of pesticides and other Pops that are discussed under the treaty should be cleaned up under the treaty and it was also proposed to include the remediation of contaminated sides. Only the US asked to delete this part completely from the treaty, clearly because they do not want to take responsibility for the many existing stockpiles of Pops that were exported out of the US in the first place.

The prevention of new Pops is one issue that could be resolved during these negotiations. Clearly no country can justify the fact that it agrees to eliminate existing Pops and at the same time introduce new chemicals on the market and into the environment that have a similar devastating impact on the environment and health. But there is still discussion on the scope of this paragraph, i.e. whether it will be an obligation to all parties or only a recommendation and what chemicals will be subject to such an obligation or recommendation. However, it should be clear that only an obligation based on the precautionary principle would really save the planet from future Pops problems, once the existing problems are solved.

Also Today: Greenpeace in action to prevent dioxin emissions from incinerators in Hong Kong.


TUESDAY 22 March - Hear Real Audio of Kevin Stairs, Greenpeace Political Advisor, address to the conference, Tuesday 21 March on the subject of the political objections of the JUSSCANZ group (the bad guys) to the treaty from the IISD website. This speech prompted the US to threaten NGO's with an official complaint in an attempt to silence their critics.

MONDAY 20 March - GREENPEACE CALLS FOR BAN ON ALL TOXIC POLLUTANTS

Bonn - Greenpeace erected a symbolic wall of dioxin barrels today to stress delegates the urgent need to eliminate all persistent organic pollutants (Pops) including dioxins, as they arrived in Germany to negotiate a global ban.

Delegates from over 100 countries were met by twenty Greenpeace activists who had redesigned the entrance to Bundeshaus in Bonn. The barrels, painted with the message “Stop Dioxin”, formed a corridor along which delegates had to walk in order to enter the building where the negotiations were commencing. The activists urged delegates to secure a toxic free future by eliminating Pops, some of the most hazardous chemicals to which natural systems are exposed.

“Dioxins and other Pops pose a global toxic threat to both present and future generations,” said Greenpeace spokesperson, Wytze van der Naald. “Research shows they are poisoning our environment, our food and our bodies. The decision taken this week in Bonn will be pivotal to a global agreement to eliminate all sources of Pops”

The elimination of dioxins is one of the key issues at this week’s negotiations. Dioxins are the unintentional byproducts of industrial manufacturing processes, involving chlorine, such as paper bleaching, manufacture of PVC plastics and incineration. They are amongst the 12 substances listed for urgent action by the United Nation’s Environment Program (UNEP) and one of the most toxic chemicals known to science.

In addition to Pops that are the unintended byproducts, UNEP has also targeted intentionally produced Pops, such as PCBs as pesticides, for elimination amongst its “dirty dozen”.

Pops are very resistant to natural breakdown and they accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals and humans. Many are highly toxic and several have been found to disrupt the hormone systems of wildlife and humans. Of particular concern are the toxic effects of Pops on young children and the developing foetus. Most people are exposed to Pops through contamination of their everyday foods.

If the negotiations succeed, the treaty will put an end to the production and use of intentionally produced Pops world-wide. A majority of countries agree that all of the 12 Pops listed by UNEP should be eliminated. However, there is still strong opposition from a few countries, led by the US, which has been unwilling to accept dioxin elimination as it wants to protect its polluting industries which are some of the world’s largest known dioxin emitters.

Most countries have already agreed to ban the production and use of many of the intentionally produced Pops and to eliminate dioxins at a regional level, such as EU members states under the OSPAR convention, as well as Mediterranean countries under the Barcelona Convention.

However, in a leaked communiqué from the US to the EU last month, the US even threatened to block this week’s negotiations if the EU would not join the US in their opposition against elimination of dioxins.

“Governments of the world must stop this toxic legacy by eliminating the production and use of Pops, including byproducts such as dioxins,” said van der Naald. “The health of the planet must not be held ransom by the narrow economic interests of a few nations.”

The website of the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD) has comprehensive daily coverage from the INC4 negotiations which pictures and real audio of speeches.

Press Release:17 March 2000: ASIA HAS NOT ESCAPED GLOBAL CHEMICAL POLLUTION
PR:16 March 2000: WORLD FOOD SUPPLIES CONTAMINATED WITH TOXIC CHEMICALS
PR:3 February 2000: US THREATENS TO BLOCK TREATY ON TOXIC POLLUTANTS