INTERNATIONAL
COUNCIL OF
CHEMICAL
ASSOCIATIONS
11 June 1996
ICCA COMMENTS ON THE STRUCTURE AND PROCESS
TOWARD A GLOBAL POPS INSTRUMENT

See also: Briefing Note (21/04/1998) on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) UNEP Web site
The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) supports the conclusion of a
global, legally-binding instrument for chemicals identified as Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPs). ICCA recommends that the structure and process toward such an
instrument generally follow the model provided by the UN Economic Commission for
Europe's (UN-ECE) Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP).
The ICCA supports UNEP Governing Council Decision 18/32, and the recommandations
of the November 1995 Washington Conference on Marine Pollution from Land-Based
Activities. In particular, ICCA supports international action
... to develop speedily a global, legally-binding instrument ... for the
reduction and/or elimination of emissions and discharges, whether
intentional or not, and, where appropriate, the elimination of the
manufacture and the use or, and illegal traffic in, the persistent organic
pollutants identified in the UNEP Governing Council Decision 18/32.
Washington Recommendations, Paragraph
UNEP Governing Council Decision 18/32 provides useful guidance for the negotiation of
a global POPs instrument. The process toward an instrument should "assess realistic
response strategies, policies and mechanisms for reducing and/or eliminating emissions,
discharges, and losses" of POPs.
In order to provide effective response strategies, policies and mechanisms, a global POPs
instrument should meet the following criteria:
 The instrument should adopt clear, concise criteria for the identification of
candidate POP substances.
 The instrument should contain a transparent science-based step wise process for
assessing the risk of each candidate POP substance as well as alternatives. Risk
assessments should include an analysis of actuel exposures along the entire life
cycle to help set objectives for reducing risks.
 A socio-economic analysis should be conducted to evaluate the benefits and
disadvantages of the substance under consideration and possible management
options.
 The instrument should provide for the full range of risk management options,
which should be applied to the substance only as necessary to address the risks
1




identified in the assessment process. Bans and phase-outs should only be used as a
lest resort, applied only if a POP is found to pose unreasonable and otherwise
unmanageable risks to human health and the environment.
Any measures taken pursuant to the POP instrument should be the least trade
restrictive necessary to achieve the objectives.
The instrument should rely on an expert body to determine whether each
candidate POP substance in fact meet the established criteria, and have been
assessed according to the agreed process.
Priority should be given to finding and introducing substitutes for each substance
which is found to have high, unmanageable risks.
The instrument must provide a mechanism for the participation of all
stakeholders.
The ICCA point of view is that the process used by the UN-ECE for dealing with the
POP issue provides a valuable model for developing a global instrument on POPs.
A global POPs instrument should include the following masters:
 Mechanisms to reduce and/or eliminate POPs discharges which pose
unmanageable risks;
 Promoting research into substitutes for substances which pose unmanageable
risks;
 Creating process-oriented systems (such as best available technologies) to control
POPs discharges; and
 Methods for developing and adapting best environmental practices to reduce
POPs emissions.
2