The bill "On the Accession of the Republic of Belarus to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade" passed the reading in the House of Representatives on 31 January, BelTA learned.

The accession to the convention will give Belarus the right to participate in the international process of prohibitions and restrictions on chemicals in trade; to support the interests of the EAEU countries; to defend the interests of the country regarding substances, the export (import) of which may be hindered for insubstantial reasons, Belarusian Healthcare Minister Aleksandr Khodzhayev explained. It will also prevent import of substances that could harm human health and the environment. 

 The convention is a multilateral international agreement. Its main purpose is to safeguard human health and the environment by facilitating the exchange of information on chemicals and severely hazardous pesticide formulations prohibited or severely restricted by one or more governments. In this regard, the convention requires professional assessment of the chemical properties hazardous for human health, scientific justification for listing or not listing substances as prohibited, enforcement of developed preventive measures, and appropriate government control of the use of substances in economy.

Written by belta.by