Evolution of Technical Assistance activities under the Rotterdam Convention

The TA programme evolved over time: the development of the programme has been characterized by an iterative process that took into consideration the Conventions’ obligations for countries and the challenges and needs expressed by countries.  The development of the programme as well as its delivery have been demand driven and has evolved over time. The principal elements of the strategy included:

Awareness Raising and Training workshops:

  • The secretariat had developed a curriculum for meetings at subregional and regional level to raise the awareness of Parties on the benefits and obligation under the Convention and provide practical hands-on training to designated national authorities in the implementation of the key obligations of the Convention.

National Action Plan meetings and national follow-up seminars:

  • The secretariat had developed a curriculum for meetings at the national and subregional levels to assist Parties in identifying the elements of national plans or strategies for the implementation of the Convention.  The meetings involve a broad range of stakeholders with a role in the implementation of the Convention.  The meeting reports define what needs to be done, by whom and when. They also include priorities for action and are a basis on which countries can develop requests for specific technical assistance activities.
  • As the number of participants per country are limited in sub-region meetings a series of national “follow-up seminars” of one or two days have been instituted. These seminars provide an opportunity to seek broader support for the national plans or strategies, to review their status of implementation and to give further consideration to country needs and priorities for action.  These meetings are convened upon request of the country and are organized by the FAO SRO or RO in cooperation with the DNA.

Thematic meetings on specific themes - such as those on SHPF, trade and trade partner meetings have been developed in direct response to the needs identified at the country level by Parties and requests from Parties in the course of the national or subregional planning meetings.

  • National trade meetings have focused on major developing country exporters with a view to facilitate a national dialogue across a broad range of stakeholders on defining a national process for meeting the export obligations of the Convention.
  • Trade partner meetings are generally intended as a follow-up to a national trade meeting and are focussed on facilitating a dialogue between the exporting country and selected trading partners to provide a forum to better understand roles and responsibilities – what is working and what needs to be improved.
  • Thematic meetings on severely hazardous pesticide formulations (SHPF) are aimed at establishing appropriate links between designated national authorities and community health monitoring activities or health clinics in countries.