The bureaux will meet from 11 to 12 November 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss preparations for the 2015 COPs.

Georgia has recently submitted import responses for all pesticides listed in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention.

This submission follows Georgia’s participation as one of 10 countries in a workshop that took place from 7 to 11 of July 2014 in Tbilisi, Georgia, and convened under the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Union (EU) partnership project “Improved pesticides and chemicals management in the former Soviet Union”. Implementing partners include Blacksmith Institute, Green Cross Belarus and Switzerland, Milieukontakt International, the International HCH and Pesticide Association, Pesticide Action Network UK, and the Secretariat of Rotterdam Convention.

“This is a meaningful step by Georgia in satisfying its obligations under the Rotterdam Convention and we encourage other Parties that have not done so, to submit import responses” Christine Fuell, Senior Technical Officer responsible for the FAO part of the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat said. “With this national decision a country decides to either consent to imports of a specific hazardous chemical or pesticide as listed in Annex III of the convention, not to consent to import or to consent subject to specified conditions.”

Exporting Parties shall take appropriate legislative or administrative measures to ensure that exporters within their territories comply with the decisions in each import response provided by Georgia. They shall also advise and assist importing Parties, upon request and as appropriate to obtain further information to help them to take action and to strengthen their capacities and capabilities to manage chemicals safely during their life-cycle. All this reduces considerably the risk posed by hazardous chemicals and pesticides through appropriate knowledge and information exchange.

If a final decision cannot (yet) be taken, a country should at least submit an interim response, including an interim decision to import or not to import, a statement that a final decision is under consideration, a request for further information and/or a request for assistance in evaluating the chemical.

Parties that have not yet submitted import responses for all annexed chemicals may wish to contact the secretariat or communicate with other Designated National Authorities from countries like Georgia for guidance. Information relevant to import responses including the form for submission can be found on the website of the convention.

The Secretariat is now looking forward to receiving import responses for the listed industrial chemicals as well as notifications of final regulatory action from Georgia. Notifications of final regulatory action are the means by which Parties inform the Secretariat of their national actions to ban or severely restrict a chemical for human health and environmental reasons.

Georgia ratified the Rotterdam Convention and became a Party on 27 February 2007.

The new term for 17 members of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC) under the Rotterdam Convention started on 1 May 2014. To familiarize new members with the mandate and tasks of the Committee, an orientation workshop took place from 19 to 21 May in Rome, Italy. The workshop was attended by 24 of the 31 CRC members.

The participants reviewed working procedures and policy guidance developed to facilitate the work of the Committee, and examined in detail the work of the intersessional task groups for the preliminary review of candidate chemicals as well as that of the drafting groups established to prepare decision guidance documents. The meeting provided an opportunity to foster working relationships among the members and for the existing members to share their experience with the new members.

Participants expressed their appreciation and were optimistic that the orientation would contribute to the effective operation of the Committee.