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The third session of the International Negotiating
Committee (INC- 3) for an International Legally Binding Instrument
for Implementing International Action on Certain Persistent
Organic Pollutants (POPs) was held from 6-11 September 1999
in Geneva, Switzerland. Delegates from over 110 countries,
as well as representatives from UN agencies, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)
and industry, convened to continue preparation of an international
legally binding instrument on an initial list of 12 POPs grouped
into three categories: 1) pesticides: aldrin, chlordane, DDT,
dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex and toxaphene; 2) industrial
chemicals: hexachlorobenzene and polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs); and 3) unintended byproducts: dioxins and furans.
INC-3 made advances on language for articles
on measures to reduce or eliminate releases, national implementation
plans, the process for adding chemicals, and information exchange,
and continued discussion on technical and financial assistance.
It also made great strides in placing chemicals in the prohibition
and restriction annexes. A legal drafting group completed
text on 15 procedural articles of the convention. While INC-3
built upon the successes of INC-2, the pace of progress slowed
a bit as divergent positions hindered movement on several
key issues such as obligations and technical and financial
assistance. This change from INC-2 indicates that delegates
have now shifted gears from discussing general concepts and
framing the issues to negotiating the actual text of a future
convention to manage, reduce and/or eliminate certain persistent
organic pollutants.
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