YEREVAN HOSTS SUB-REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ROTTERDAM CONVENTION

ArmInfo
2009-11-23 14:05:00

ArmInfo. Sub-regional conference of the persons, responsible for
implementation of the Rotterdam Convention on hazardous chemicals
and pesticides started in Yerevan today. Representatives of Armenia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Moldova and Russia take part in the conference.

As Nature Protection Minister of Armenia Aram Harutyunyan said,
the primary goal of the event is raising of awareness about the
Basel Convention on control of transboundary m®vement of hazardous
wastes and their disposal, the Stockholm Convention about persistent
organic pollutants (POP) and the Rotterdam Convention. In particular,
the parties will focus on the issues related to strengthening of
chemicals and waste management at a national level. A. Harutyunyan
recalled that Armenia ratified all the afore-indicated conventions:
Basel Convention – in 1999, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions – in
2003. Moreover, the goals of all the three conventions are interrelated
and aim at protection of peoples’ health and environment from impact
of chemicals and waste.

As the minister said, in view of the fact that the Law on Chemicals
will be developed in Armenia by 2011, implementation of principles of
the Rotterdam Convention plays a significant role. In particular, the
republic’s government approved a list of 33 forbidden chemicals and
pesticides in 2005. As for the current situation in the country, the
minister said that monitoring of hazardous waste is under completion,
and its results will become known by late of 2009. A. Harutyunyan
recalled that there is a considerable number of tailing dumps in the
territory of Armenia. ‘Our goal is to watch for them to be exploited
according to the projects, otherwise, this will threaten pollution
of land and water resources’, the minister said.

To note, sub-regional conference of the persons, responsible for
implementation of the Rotterdam Convention, will be over on November
27.