Text of the Convention

The text of the Rotterdam Convention was adopted by the Conference of the Plenipotentiaries (Rotterdam, 10 September 1998). The text was subsequently amended by the Conference of the Parties at its first meeting (Geneva, 20 - 24 September 2004), fourth meeting (Rome, 27 – 31 October 2008), fifth meeting (Geneva, 20 - 24 June 2011), sixth meeting (Geneva, 28 April – 10 May 2013), seventh meeting (Geneva, 4 – 15 May 2015), at its eighth meeting (Geneva, 24 April - 5 May 2017) and at its ninth meeting (Geneva, 29 April – 10 May).

The text on this website is published for information purposes only. It does not substitute the original authentic texts of the Rotterdam Convention and amendments thereto as deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations acting as the Depository of the Convention.

Additional Annexes

In 2004, the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties adopted Annex VI, setting out the arbitration and conciliation procedures for the purposes of Article 20 of the Convention on settlement of disputes.

The ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties then adopted in 2019, a new Annex VII on procedures and mechanisms on compliance in accordance with Article 17 of the Convention.

Amendments to Annexes

Since the adoption of the Convention, the Conference of the Parties has adopted a series of decisions to amend Annex III to the Convention to list additional chemicals and make them subject to the Prior Informed Consent Procedure. Further information on the Annex III chemicals is available here.

Convention text

Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade

Text and Annexes

(revised in 2019)

The 2019 revised text of the Convention reflects the amendments adopted by the Conference of the Parties at various meetings, up to the latest decisions in 2019 to list phorate as a pesticide and hexabromocyclododecane as an industrial chemical in Annex III to the Convention, as well as to adopt a new Annex VII on procedures and mechanisms on compliance with the Rotterdam Convention.