2025 Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions COPs Side Event
Accelerating the transition from HHPs to biopesticides and agroecological alternatives: Fostering sustainable food systems while mitigating severe environmental and public health impacts
About
This side event to the COPs of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions will explore the impacts of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) on environmental and public health and pathways to advancing biopesticide initiatives and agroecology-based solutions. It will discuss the benefits, adoption challenges, and policy options for scaling up biopesticides and implementing agroecological approaches with a focus on chlorpyrifos.
Date and location: 2 May, 18:15-19:45 CEST, CICG room 14 and online (Zoom). You can register to attend online HERE.
Co-organisers: Biovision Foundation, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) International, Centre for Pesticide suicide prevention (CPSP), UNEP, WHO, Ethiopia, Ministry of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, Agroecology Coalition.
Language: English
Programme:
18:15 – 18:20 Welcome and introduction
18:20 – 18:30 Setting the scene: Promoting sustainable alternatives to hazardous chemicals and their relevance to BRS Conventions
- Mihaela Paun, (UNEP, Knowledge and Risk Unit, Chemicals and Health Branch)
18:30 – 18:50 Framing inputs on 3 of the session’s focus angles
- Impact of pesticides on public health: Shweta Dabholkar (Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention)
- Agroecological solutions to pesticides and the case for Chlorpyrifos listing: Tadesse Amera (PAN International)
- Biologically based alternatives, key barriers and policy solutions for an agroecological biopesticide value chain: Souleymane Yougbarev (Council of Organic Agriculture in Burkina Faso)
18:50 – 19:25 Panel discussion – National policies and options to support countries in accelerating the transition away from HHPs
- Jayakody Arachchige Sumith (Pesticide Registrar, Ministry of Agriculture, Sri Lanka)
- Tadesse Amera (PAN International)
- Addisu Tibebu (Head of Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Desk, Environment Protection Authority, Ethiopia and National Focal Point to Stockholm Convention)
19:25 – 19:30 Concluding remarks
- Christine Fuell (Executive Secretary ad interim of the Rotterdam Convention – FAO)
Moderation: Charlotte Pavageau (Biovision Foundation)
