Annex A to eliminate, Annex B to restrict and Annex C for unintentional releases: the convention on persistent organic pollutants

Background

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was adopted by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries on 22 May 2001 in Stockholm, Sweden, and entered into force on 17 May 2004.
It is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods and accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and wildlife.
The objective is set out in Article 1 of the Convention.
The negotiations began from an initial list of 12 POPs.
Parties must prohibit and/or eliminate the production and use, as well as the import and export, of the intentionally produced POPs listed in Annex A, where special rules apply to PCBs.
Parties must restrict the production and use, as well as the import and export, of the intentionally produced POPs listed in Annex B, for which acceptable purposes can be registered.
Annex C to the Convention covers releases from unintentionally produced POPs, under Article 5.
Article 8 sets the procedure for listing new POPs, and the POPs Review Committee examines listing proposals against the information requirements in Annexes D, E and F.