Report of the Regional Workshop on Practical Aspects of Pesticide Risk Assessment and Phasing Out of Highly Hazardous Pesticides, 19-22 May 2014, Nanjing, China

<p>The phasing out of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) is one of FAO&rsquo;s important areas of work. The HHP criteria agreed by JMPM (FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management) provide guidance on what might be an HHP. The new code of conduct includes definition and recommendations on what countries can do to mitigate risks arising from HHPs.</p><p>A number of countries in this region have taken various approaches and initiatives to phase out HHPs. China is one of the countries which have achieved significant progress on phasing out of HHPs, pesticide registrations, quality control as well as on import and export management.</p><p>Over the past years, the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP) has organized a number of regional workshops aimed at enhancing harmonization among countries&rsquo; regulatory framework for the control of pesticides. The APPPC Regional workshop on practical aspects of pesticide risk assessment and phasing out of HHPs was proposed in the same context and specifically focused on a number of practical aspects of pesticide management that the earlier workshops identified as areas for further attention.</p><p>In collaboration with the FAO regional project on pesticide risk reduction, and also with the Government of People&rsquo;s Republic of China, the regional workshop on practical aspects of pesticide risk assessment and phasing out of highly hazardous pesticides was organized in Nanjing, China from 19-22 May 2014. It was attended by delegates from 15 countries from Asia.</p><p>The objectives of the workshop were as follows:</p><p>- review to what extent use can be made of registration data from countries with advanced risk assessment procedures;</p><p>- exchange experiences related to the phasing out of highly hazardous pesticides, with emphasis on practical aspects of such phasing out;</p><p>- explore scope for collaboration in the review of new chemicals and current highly hazardous products;</p><p>- discuss mechanisms for collaboration among countries in addressing the problem of fake and substandard products;</p><p>- provide updates on new developments, such as the revision of the International Code of Conduct and the reforms of China&rsquo;s labeling and Japan&rsquo;s registration system.</p><p>To facilitate information exchange in Asia, an electronic working group on pesticide risk assessment was formed. It established a platform for information exchange as well as address related issues.</p><p>The participanting countries were encouraged to take appropriate actions since experience has shown that the phasing out of HHPs would not only reduce the risks to human health and the environment, but would also make the pesticide industry and agricultural production more competitive and sustainable.</p>