18 February 2009
The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) will hold a
national action plan meeting for the implementation of the Rotterdam
Convention, at Riverside Hotel in Durban from 23 to 27 February 2009.
The Deputy Minister of DEAT, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, will officially open
the workshop at 09h00 on Monday, 23 February 2009.
The Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent (PIC) is a multilateral
environmental agreement which came into force in February 2004 and South Africa
is a signatory to this convention with DEAT being the designated national
authority and focal point.
The convention is designed to protect public health and the environment by
promoting informed decision-making by importing countries in relation to
products that have been banned or severely restricted by at least two other
Parties to the convention.
One of the objectives of the convention is to promote shared responsibility
and cooperative efforts among Parties in the international trade of certain
hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from
potential harm. The convention also aims to contribute to the environmentally
sound use of those hazardous chemicals, by facilitating information exchange
about their characteristics, by providing for a national decision-making
process on their import and export and by disseminating these decisions to
Parties.
It is expected that the Departments of Trade and Industry, Transport, Water
Affairs and Forestry, Health, Agriculture, South African Police Service, South
African Revenue Service as well as major industry stakeholders and
non-governmental organisation (NGOs) will be in attendance at the convention
workshop.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is funding this national
dialogue and as such representatives from the convention secretariat from
Switzerland and the food and agricultural organisation from Italy, will be
facilitating the meeting.
RSVPs:
Moses Rannditsheni
Tel: 012 310 3899
Cell: 082 448 2450
E-mail: mrannditsheni@deat.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
18 February 2009
Source: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (http://www.environment.gov.za/)
