Pops

16th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the Stockholm Convention (POPRC-16)

11–16 January 2021

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

About

With three potential persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under review and substantial technical work related to implementation of its past recommendations, the Committee successfully completed its full pre-COVID-19 pandemic agenda to avoid delaying action on issues that pose risks to human health and/or the environment.

Final report

All coverage

The sixteenth meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Review Committee (POPRC-16) of the Stockholm Convention on POPs took place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting was originally scheduled for September 2020.

POPRC-16 considered:

  • the draft risk profiles for methoxychlor and for Dechlorane Plus and its syn-isomer and anti-isomer;
  • a proposal by Switzerland to include UV-328 under Annexes A, B, and/or C of the Convention;
  • a review of information related to specific exemptions for decabromodiphenyl ether and short-chain chlorinated paraffins; and,
  • an evaluation and review of progress made by parties towards eliminating brominated diphenyl ethers contained in articles and their continued need for the specific exemptions for those chemicals.

In addition to this technical work, POPRC-16 aimed to:

  • consider a report on activities to support effective participation in the work of the POPRC;
  • review information on the rotation of POPRC membership; and,
  • agree on the workplan for the intersessional period until POPRC-17.

In advance of POPRC-16, pre-meetings were held online from 1-3 December 2020 to initiate conversations on the technical work before the Committee.

The POPRC is a 31-member expert committee established under Article 8 of the Convention. The committee has eight government-designated experts from Africa, eight from Asia and the Pacific, three from Central and Eastern Europe, five from Latin America and the Caribbean, and seven from Western European and Other States. The POPRC is tasked with reviewing proposals submitted by a party to list a new substance under the Convention.

Following a submission, the POPRC follows a three-stage review process. The first stage is to review the proposal against criteria, set out in Annex D, relating to persistence, bio-accumulation, potential for long-range environmental transport, and adverse effects. If the Annex D criteria are deemed met, then the substance is moved to the second stage of review; this entails the preparation of a risk profile following information requirements set out in Annex E.

If, on the basis of this risk profile, the POPRC concludes that global action is warranted, then the third stage of review involves preparing a risk management evaluation detailing socio-economic considerations of possible control measures according to Annex F. At the end of these three stages of review, the POPRC decides whether to recommend listing under Annex A (elimination), Annex B (restriction), and/or Annex C (unintentional production) and this recommendation is then forwarded to the Conference of the Parties (COP).

The COP then decides whether to amend Annexes A, B and/or C by listing the proposed substance under the Convention. For more information, see the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary and analysis from POPRC-15 in October 2019.

When the Convention was adopted in 2001, it listed 12 POPs known as the “dirty dozen.” As of December 2020, that list has expanded, based on POPRC recommendations, to include 30 substances, including pesticides, industrial chemicals, and by-products.

View past and future events

Past event

1st Session of the INC for an International Legally Binding Instrument for Implementing International Action on Certain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

1st Session of the Criteria Expert Group (CEG-1) for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

2nd Session of the INC for an International Legally Binding Instrument for Implementing International Action on Certain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

2nd Session of the Criteria Expert Group (CEG-2) for Persistent Organic Pollutants

Past event

3rd Session of the INC for an International Legally Binding Instrument for Implementing International Action on Certain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

4th Session of the INC for an International Legally Binding Instrument for Implementing International Action on Certain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

5th Session of the INC for an International Legally Binding Instrument for Implementing International Action on Certain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

6th Session of the INC for an International Legally Binding Instrument for Implementing International Action on Certain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

7th Session of the INC for an International Legally Binding Instrument for Implementing International Action on Certain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

1st Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP1) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

2nd Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP2) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

2nd Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-2)

Past event

3rd Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP3) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

3rd Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-3)

Past event

4th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-4)

Past event

4th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP4) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

5th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-5)

Past event

6th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-6)

Past event

5th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP5) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

7th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-7)

Past event

8th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-8)

Past event

2013 Meetings of Basel Convention COP11, Rotterdam Convention COP6, Stockholm Convention COP6, and ExCOPs2

Past event

9th Meeting of the Stockholm Convention’s Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-9)

Past event

POPRC and CRC Joint Meeting, and CRC-9

Past event

10th Meeting of the Stockholm Convention’s Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-10)

Past event

2015 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs)

Past event

11th Meeting of the Stockholm Convention’s Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-11)

Past event

12th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-12)

Past event

2017 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs)

Past event

13th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-13)

Past event

14th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-14) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Past event

2019 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

Past event

15th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the Stockholm Convention (POPRC-15)

Past event

16th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the Stockholm Convention (POPRC-16)

Past event

2021 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs)

Past event

17th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the Stockholm Convention (POPRC-17)

Past event

Face-to-Face Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs)

Past event

18th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the Stockholm Convention (POPRC-18)

Past event

2023 Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs)

Past event

PCB Fair: Launch of the report on progress towards elimination of PCBs

Past event

PCB Fair: Results achieved, challenges and lessons learned on PCB elimination to meet the Stockholm Convention goals

Past event

PCB Fair: Tools and guidance to support parties achieving the 2025 and 2028 Targets on PCB

Past event

20th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the Stockholm Convention (POPRC-20)

Participants

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