1. Opening of the meeting.

2. Organizational matters:

Item 1. Opening of the meeting

1. The eighth meeting of the Chemical Review Committee, to be held from 19 to 23 March 2012 at the Varembé Conference Centre, Geneva, will be opened at 10 a.m. on Monday, 19 March 2012.

Note by the Secretariat

1. The present note is divided into two chapters. Chapter I provides an overview of the outcome of the deliberations of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade at its fifth meeting, held in Geneva from 20 to 24 June 2011, on work undertaken by the Chemical Review Committee. Chapter II outlines other decisions taken by the Conference relevant to the Committee’s work. The report of the meeting (UNEP/FAO/RC/COP.5/26) is available on the Convention website (www.pic.int).

2. The Committee may wish to take note of the information provided herein.

Note by the Secretariat

1. The process for drafting decision guidance documents set forth in decision RC-2/2 of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade includes the establishment of intersessional task groups for candidate chemicals and pesticide formulations scheduled for consideration by the Chemical Review Committee. To promote efficiency in its work, the Committee at its second meeting established a procedure for dealing with notifications of final regulatory actions to ban or severely restrict chemicals. The procedure has been posted on the Convention website (www.pic.int) and will be available to the Committee at its eighth meeting in a compilation of policy guidance and working procedures (UNEP/FAO/RC/CRC.8/INF/5).

Note by the Secretariat

1. Under Article 5 of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, when the Secretariat has received at least one notification of final regulatory action to ban or severely restrict a chemical from each of two prior informed consent (PIC) regions containing the information required in Annex I to the Convention, it shall forward the notifications and accompanying documentation to the members of the Chemical Review Committee. The Committee shall review the information provided in such notifications and, in accordance with the criteria set out in Annex II to the Convention, recommend to the Conference of the Parties whether the chemical in question should be included in Annex III to the Convention and whether a decision guidance document should be drafted.

The Secretariat has the honour to provide, in the annex to the present note, documentation received from the European Union to support its notification of final regulatory action for dicofol as a pesticide. The documentation has not been formally edited.

The Secretariat has the honour to provide, in the annex to the present note, documentation received from Japan to support its notification of final regulatory action for dicofol. The documentation has not been formally edited.

Note by the Secretariat

1. Under Article 5 of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, when the Secretariat has received at least one notification of final regulatory action to ban or severely restrict a chemical from each of two prior informed consent (PIC) regions containing the information required in Annex I to the Convention, it shall forward the notifications and accompanying documentation to the members of the Chemical Review Committee. The Committee shall review the information provided in such notifications and, in accordance with the criteria set out in Annex II to the Convention, recommend to the Conference of the Parties whether the chemical in question should be included in Annex III to the Convention and whether a decision guidance document should be drafted.

The Secretariat has the honour to provide, in the annex to the present note, documentation received from the European Union to support its notification of final regulatory action for trichlorfon as a pesticide. The documentation has not been formally edited.

The Secretariat has the honour to provide, in the annex to the present note, documentation received from Brazil to support its notification of final regulatory action for trichlorfon as a pesticide. The documentation has not been formally edited.

Note by the Secretariat

1. At its seventh meeting, the Chemical Review Committee reviewed notifications of final regulatory actions for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and its precursor perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF) from Canada, the European Union and Japan, along with the supporting documentation referenced therein, and concluded that the requirements set out in Annex I and Annex II to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade had been met.

Note by the Secretariat

1. At its seventh meeting, the Chemical Review Committee reviewed notifications of final regulatory action for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and its precursor perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF) from Canada, the European Union and Japan, along with the supporting documentation referenced therein, and concluded that the requirements set out in Annex I and Annex II to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade had been met.

Note by the Secretariat

1. At its seventh meeting, the Chemical Review Committee reviewed notifications of final regulatory actions for pentabromodiphenyl ether commercial mixtures from Canada, the European Community, Japan and Norway, along with the supporting documentation referenced therein, and concluded that the requirements set out in Annex I and Annex II to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade had been met.

Note by the Secretariat

1. At its seventh meeting, the Chemical Review Committee reviewed notifications of final regulatory action for pentabromodiphenyl ether commercial mixtures from Canada, the European Community, Japan and Norway, along with the supporting documentation referenced therein, and concluded that the requirements set out in Annex I and Annex II to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade had been met.

Note by the Secretariat

1. At its seventh meeting, the Chemical Review Committee reviewed notifications of final regulatory actions for octabromodiphenyl ether commercial mixtures from Canada, the European Community, Japan and Norway, along with the supporting documentation referenced therein, and concluded that the requirements set out in Annex I and Annex II to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade had been met.

Note by the Secretariat

1. At its seventh meeting, the Chemical Review Committee reviewed notifications of final regulatory action for octabromodiphenyl ether commercial mixtures from Canada, the European Community, Japan and Norway, along with the supporting documentation referenced therein, and concluded that the requirements set out in Annex I and Annex II to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade had been met.

Note by the Secretariat

1. At its seventh meeting, the Chemical Review Committee reviewed a proposal submitted by Burkina Faso for a severely hazardous pesticide formulation, Gramoxone Super, along with the additional information collected by the Secretariat in accordance with part 2 of Annex IV to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, and concluded that the criteria in Annex IV to the Convention had been met.

Note by the Secretariat

1. At its seventh meeting, the Chemical Review Committee reviewed a proposal submitted by Burkina Faso for a severely hazardous pesticide formulation, Gramoxone Super, along with the additional information collected by the Secretariat in accordance with part 2 of Annex IV to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, and concluded that the criteria in Annex IV to the Convention had been met.

Note by the Secretariat

1. The Chemical Review Committee developed a working paper on the application of the criteria in paragraph (b) of Annex II to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. The purpose of the paper is to assist the Committee in judging whether a notification of final regulatory action meets those criteria. The working paper was originally developed by the Committee at its first meeting with the understanding that it would continue to evolve in the light of future experience. It was amended to include further examples based on the experience gained at subsequent meetings of the Committee. An intersessional drafting group was established at the Committee’s seventh meeting with the mandate to further develop the working paper.

Note by the Secretariat

1. The interim Chemical Review Committee of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade developed a working paper on preparing internal proposals and decision guidance documents for severely hazardous pesticide formulations with a view to providing guidance to intersessional drafting groups. The working paper was adopted by the Chemical Review Committee at its first meeting with the understanding that it would continue to evolve in the light of future experience.