Back to Contents

APPEAL
of participants of seminar
"Persistent Organic Pollutants and Human Health"
Moscow, May 15-16, 2001.

to the President and the Government of the Russian Federation

Dear Mr. President!

Dear Members of the Government!

On May 23, 2001, in Stockholm, AN INTERNATIONAL LEGALLY BINDING DOCUMENT FOR IMPLEMENTING ACTIONS ON CERTAIN PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS will be opened for signature.

Accounting for negative net population growth in our country, vulnerability of human beings, and especially children, super-toxicity and long-term impacts of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on future generations, we, the representatives of 40 non-governmental organisations of Russia, express out grave concerns about continuous health impact of POPs. Even negligible concentrations of some POPs are known to generate substantial adverse health impacts, provoking development of immune and reproductive disorders, malignant growth and birth defects.

We think it important to attract attention of decision-makers on POPs elimination matters to the need:

1. to sign Stockholm Convention;

2. to provide timely and comprehensive information to the general public on issues, pertaining to reduction of releases and elimination of the POPs, subject to elimination under Stockholm Convention;

3. to apply precautionary principle to chemical management, to expand continuously the list of POPs to be eliminated and provide relevant information to the Russian public;

4. to guarantee the right of the public for expression of views on matters of POPs elimination and to account for these views in the decision-making process;

5. to guarantee public involvement into the process of implementation of Stockholm Convention and ensure transparency of the process;

6. to facilitate inventory of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls in Russia;

7. to pay priority attention to development of safe and environment-friendly alternatives for POPs;

8. to prevent infiltration of "dirty technologies" to Russia, e.g. garbage incinerators; to guarantee decommissioning or reconstruction of facilities, that release POPs and other hazardous chemical compounds.

We are convinced, that Stockholm Convention is a major step forward at the way to elimination of hazardous artificial chemicals. Accedence of Russia to this international document would enhance the image of our country in the eyes of the global community; it would promote inflow of investments to Russia for POPs inventory and development of safe and environment-friendly alternatives to POPs; it would allow Russia to get finance assistance for development of safe technologies and methods for elimination of POPs and other especially hazardous substances.

Back to Contents