This new guidance will complement the technical guidance documents already developed to implement the FAO/WHO International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management. It is developed jointly with WHO. This document is intended to guide pesticide regulators, especially in low- and middle-income countries, for designing and implementing national pesticide licensing schemes, outlining elements, requirements, and options for countries wishing to establish or strengthen their programs for licensing of activities related to the pesticide life cycle.
Within the context of the implementation of the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management, this document is intended to provide specific guidance for countries wishing to establish or strengthen their programmes for licensing of activities connected to the pesticide life-cycle, including import, storage, distribution, sale and specific uses, and to provide guidance on options to set up and improve national licensing schemes. This guidance is designed primarily for use by government authorities in charge of pesticide management, in particular pesticide regulations, compliance, enforcement and risk reduction, as well as may also be useful in sectors such as the pesticide industry, nongovernmental organizations and other relevant entities in low-and middle-income countries in which there is limited legislation, compliance and enforcement, and resources for pesticide management.
This is the 2024 update of the Compendium of WHO and other UN guidance on health and environment. The Compendium is a comprehensive collection of available WHO and other UN guidance for improving health by creating healthier environments. It provides an overview and easy access of more than 500 actions, and a framework for thinking about health and environment interventions. It covers a broad range of areas such as air pollution, water, sanitation and hygiene, climate change, chemicals, radiation, or food systems. Guidance is classified according to principal sectors involved, level of implementation (national, community, health care), the type of instrument (taxes, infrastructure etc.) and the category of evidence. The Compendium compiles existing guidance from hundreds of documents in a simple and systematized format. To ensure the most up-to-date information is provided to the end users, the Compendium is updated on a regular basis and incorporates the latest major WHO or other UN guidance on health and environment. The target audience includes any decision-makers with relevance to health and environment, and those assisting them (such as mayors, staff in ministries, UN country staff etc.). The Compendium has been prepared by WHO in cooperation with UN Environment, UNDP and UNICEF.
The purpose of the guidelines is to provide guidance to governments that seek to review, update or design national pesticide legislation. It should be emphasized, however, that legislation alone cannot ensure effective pesticide management and adequate protection of the environment and public health. Governments will need to have in place the necessary institutional infrastructure for registering pesticides and enforcing legislation. Further, governments also need effective supporting policies and tools to promote sustainable pest and pesticide management. This may include promoting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated Vector Management (IVM) through training programmes and incentive schemes, increasing availability and use of low risk products, fostering scientific research, carrying out public education campaigns and providing training for inspectors, retailers and professional users. A solid legislative framework should underpin the selected institutional framework, policies and tools. This document supersedes the Guidelines for Legislation on the Control of Pesticides of 1989.
The understanding that some pesticides are more hazardous than others is well established. Recognition of this is reflected by the World Health Organization (WHO) Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard, which was first published in 1975. The document classifies pesticides in one of five hazard classes according to their acute toxicity. In 2002, the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) was introduced, which in addition to acute toxicity also provides classification of chemicals according to their chronic health hazards and environmental hazards.
Pesticides are widely used by pest control operators (PCOs) for the control of vectors, pests of public health importance, stored product pests, structural pests such as termites and wood-boring insects, as well as weeds along highways and public places. The use of pesticides in close proximity to the human population by PCOs who are untrained, lacking in competence and unregulated in many countries is of great concern. Such uncontrolled pest control activities not only affect human health and at times even kill but also cause adverse environmental effects and shorten the period of availability of much needed pesticides due to resistance.
This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2021 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition.
The 14th FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management (JMPM), hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), was held online on the afternoons of 14 and 15 October 2021. As for the 13th JMPM in October 2020, the meeting time was significantly reduced from the usual three-and-a-half days to two half days, because of the obligation to meet electronically due to COVID-19. The meeting included: an update on activities of FAO, WHO and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); a review of progress in the production of new FAO/WHO guidance and revision of existing guidelines; proposals for developing new guidance and revising existing guidelines; a discussion of how to promote use of the guidance and agreement on next steps; a presentation on progress in the action plan for highly hazardous pesticides and the UNEP/FAO/WHO report on the impacts of pesticides and fertilizers; a presentation by the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights, followed by discussion of how a human rights-based approach could be reflected in FAO/WHO guidance and in the Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management (the Code of Conduct); and a presentation of the process for revising the Code of Conduct, followed by discussion of whether an update is necessary and the issues to be considered if one is undertaken. The recommendations made by the JMPM are summarized in section 12. The list of meeting participants is attached as Annex 1.
