What is the Stockholm Convention?
In 1966 the UNEP began a process of consultation to develop an international agreement on the manufacture and management of toxic organic chemicals. A series of international meetings was held to develop an agreement that would be broadly acceptable to UN member nations. This convention was finally adopted and opened for signature at a conference held in Stockholm in May of 2001. The Stockholm Convention is a legally binding document designed to reduce the risks to human health and the environment from 12 organic chemicals (Persistent organic pollutants also known as POPs). Persistent organic pollutants are toxic (poisonous) carbon-based chemicals that resist breaking down and travel easily through air, water and the food chain. They tend to pile up in fatty tissues of their host at the end of food chains and pose a particular danger to children and pregnant women, especially in developing countries. These countries often lack the technical or financial means to monitor the presence of
