(Dakar, Senegal)

Governments attending a meeting of Parties to a global treaty on persistent toxic chemicals were surprised to learn that DDT production and use is again rising rapidly, despite a global agreement to restrict and eliminate it. Members of the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) present at the Third Conference of Parties to the Stockholm Convention (COP3) called on the international community to re-commit to controlling malaria in Africa and elsewhere by effective means that do not require DDT.

 “DDT is a 21st century problem in all parts of the world,” said Henry Diouf, PAN Afrique. “Countries need urgent action on this matter now.”

The Stockholm Convention is very clear on DDT: It permits exemptions for limited use for disease vector control, with the ultimate aim of reduction and elimination. At COP3 the World Health Organisation confirmed their full dedication to these goals and expressed their concern about the serious human health effects of DDT.

The effective implementation of the Convention requires adequate technical and financial resources and an enforceable compliance procedure. $300 million USD have been allocated for efforts over the next three years to enable developing country Parties to control their releases to the environment of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). There are many challenges developing countries face if they are to meet their Convention obligations. These include effective control of malaria while phasing out DDT, proper management and treatment of toxic wastes, and replacing polluting technologies. It is recognized that without increased funding, the costs of implementing the Convention will greatly outstrip resources available to many developing countries.

 “Developing countries cannot be expected to fully implement the Stockholm Convention unless there is adequate financial and technical assistance,” said Professor Jamidu Katima, IPEN Co-Chair based in Tanzania.

IPEN and PAN also advocated rejecting the weak standards provisionally proposed for managing POPs contaminated wastes. The adopted guidelines were not based on a health protective standard and are likely to encourage the export of POPs-contaminated hazardous wastes to developing countries.

Contact: Henry Diouf, PAN Afrique  +221 637 12 08
              Mariann Lloyd-Smith, PhD, IPEN co-chair,  006-141-362-1557
              Jamidu Katima, PhD, IPEN co-chair, +255-22-241-0754