The 20th meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) under the Stockholm Convention is scheduled to take place in Rome, Italy, from 23 to 27 September 2024. This session will also coincide with the 20th meeting of the Chemical Review Committee of the Rotterdam Convention. An online pre-meeting was held on 11 September 2024 to set the agenda and provide an overview.

Key discussions at POPRC.20 will include:

1. Listing PXDD/PXDF in Annex C: The committee will evaluate the proposal to add polyhalogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PXDD) and dibenzofurans (PXDF) to Annex C, focusing on their potential as hazardous pollutants.
2. Chlorpyrifos Review: The committee will review the draft risk management evaluation for chlorpyrifos, a pesticide, building upon the risk profile adopted in the 19th meeting. The conclusion reached earlier indicated that chlorpyrifos poses serious risks due to long-range environmental transport, warranting global action.
3. Perfluorocarboxylic Acids and Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins: Industrial chemicals, such as long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins, will be further assessed for their inclusion in Annex A with specific exemptions. Recommendations for these chemicals will be submitted to the Conference of the Parties in 2025.
4. Work on Persistent Organic Pollutants in Wastes: The intersessional working group’s findings on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in stockpiles, products, and wastes will be reviewed. This is part of the effort to enforce the Conference of the Parties’ decision (SC-11/12).
5. Brominated Diphenyl Ethers (BDEs): The committee will assess progress toward eliminating BDEs from use and determine the need for continued exemptions under Annex A.

The meeting will include contributions from various stakeholders, with working languages available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

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