Following the entry into force of the 1998
Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in October 2003, the Executive Body for the Convention
established the Task Force on POPs at its twenty-first
session in December 2003. Led by Canada and the
Netherlands, the Task Force addresses the technical
needs of the reviews and reassessments required
by the 1998
Aarhus Protocol on POPs and the procedures
adopted in Executive Body decision
1998/2. In setting up the Task Force,
the Executive Body agreed decision
2003/10, which identifies the functions
of the Task Force, and some of its methods of work. The Task Force carries out the tasks specified for it in the workplan adopted annually by the Executive Body. Co-Chairs
report the results of the meetings of the Task
Force to the Convention’s Working Group on
Strategies and Review.
Procedures for amendments and technical reviews of dossiers
(1) Article 14 of the Protocol on POPs contains the current procedures for amending the Protocol. It lays down procedures for Parties that make a proposal (dossier) to add a substance into annexes I, II or III to the Protocol;
(2)
Executive Body decision 1998/2 details the information the proposal must contain and provides a framework for reviewing it;
(3)
In line with Executive Body decision 2003/10, the Task Force on POPs will prepare technical reviews of a proposal when requested to do so, and will present relevant documentation on it to the Working Group on Strategies and Review;
(4)
As agreed by the Executive Body at its twenty-second session, when undertaking technical reviews of a proposal, the Task Force should make use of the Generic guidelines for the technical review of dossiers of new substances that may be proposed for inclusion into annexes I, II and III to the Protocol.
Proposals for consideration by Parties to the Protocol at the twenty-sixth session of the Executive Body (15-19 December 2008)
EMEP work on POPs
Information about the results of EMEP work on
POPs is available from MSC-East.
Expert Group
on POPs that reported to the Working Group on Strategies
and Review 2000 - 2003