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From 4 to 8 November 2024, FAO organized a workshop in San José, Costa Rica, aimed at enhancing national capacities in pesticide regulation and implementing the Rotterdam Convention. A central topic addressed was pesticide registration, with Arturo Correa, an FAO consultant, leading the training on the FAO Pesticide Registration Toolkit.The two-day workshop provided extensive training on various aspects of pesticide registration, including strategies, decision-making, risk assessment for human health and the environment, data and guidelines, assessment methods, information sources, and mitigation measures. Registration officers from five Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries—Chile, Panama, Mexico, Paraguay, and Costa Rica—participated. Thirteen presentations were delivered, two practical workshops were conducted, and three case studies were developed, covering registration by analogy, bridging, and risk modeling, which provided essential information on the processes linked to pesticide registration.Among the recommendations arising from the training, participants emphasized the need to continue updating the FAO toolkit, particularly regarding biopesticides (botanical, biological, semiochemical). A follow-up workshop was proposed for the Central American region, as countries such as Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic have not yet received training on the FAO Pesticide Registration Toolkit.As part of their commitment, participating countries agreed to contribute their own reference information sources to the toolkit and requested inclusion in the forum (DGforum of the toolkit) to maintain ongoing communication with registration officers worldwide.

A regional Toolkit training was held in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania upon the request of the Secretariat of the East African Community (EAC). The customized 3.5-day Toolkit training was held back-to-back with a workshop to review and finalize the EAC regional strategy on Highly Hazardous Pesticides. It involved 33 participants comprising technical officers representing the Ministries of Agriculture, Environment and Health from all the 8 EAC namely Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda as well as the EAC Secretariat, Agricultural Production Sector. The hybrid training was facilitated by Ms Ivy Saunyama (FAO) and Ms Jenny Rönngren (Swedish Chemicals Agency) with all participants, except the three from Rwanda attending in person. Other than meeting the participants’ expectations, the training was historically significant in that in 2015 the coastal city of Dar es Salaam hosted the first Pesticide Registration Toolkit Pilot training, albeit with a much smaller EAC that had 5 partner states then (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda). It was indeed a significant and heartwarming milestone to have the 8 partner states come together almost a decade later to a fully developed Pesticide Registration Tool that continues to improve with each passing year. The training ended on a high note with the EAC Secretariat requesting FAO for technical and financial support for a follow-on training focusing on pesticide risk assessment, selection of safer alternatives to HHPs and registration of biopesticides.

Paraguay - From 19 to 22 August 2024, Arturo Correa, specialist in pesticide Policies in Latin America, facilitated a training on the FAO Pesticide Registration toolkit a back-to-back together with colleagues from Rotterdam Convention, in Asunción. The Servicio Nacional de Calidad y Sanidad Vegetal y de Semillas (SANAVE), Paraguay reached out to FAO to request a training on sound pesticide management for building up national capacities. The toolkit training was requested to train staff for the daily use of the toolkit as a supporting tool for decision making in the sound management of pesticides and risk assessments during the registration procedures. Therewith, equivalence assessments for the registration of generic products were of special interest to the participants. Further information can also be found here on the Rotterdam Convention webpage Workshop Paraguay - Aug 2024 (pic.int) and a SENEVA post on social media: Senave Paraguay - 📌Inició hoy el taller “Kit de... | Facebook

Uzbekistan, May 10, 2024.- From May 6th to 10th, 2024, FAO organized a workshop on its pesticide registration toolkit in the picturesque town of Yusufhona, Uzbekistan. This event brought together government officials from three distinct departments to enhance their understanding and application of this necessary tool in pesticide registration processes. Participants explored the details of the toolkit's modules and decision-making frameworks, gaining insights into the various steps involved in pesticide registration. The workshop featured practical exercises, including an engaging card game, which provided participants a hands-on experience in evaluating scenarios and making informed decisions about pesticide approval. Throughout the week, attendees explored essential topics such as data requirements, assessment methods, mitigation measures, registration strategies, and valuable information sources. A significant portion of the workshop was dedicated to highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs). Learning about the identification, assessment, and mitigation of this especially harmful chemicals, aiming to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to recognize and raise awareness on the adverse effects on both human health and the environment. This initiative marks a crucial step towards safer and more sustainable agricultural practices in Uzbekistan. FAO will keep offering these events and promoting the use of its pesticide registration toolkit, working towards a more informed and effective pesticide registration processes in the region and the world. For more information on the Pesticide Registration Toolkit please click here.  

Fiji, 5 November 2023 - From November 5th to the 12th, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and FAO organized a pesticide registration toolkit training workshop in Suva, Fiji. The training workshop gathered staff from pesticide regulatory authorities of ten (10) countries from across the Pacific including: Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, The Federated States of Micronesia, Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Solomon Islands.  The training sought to support the development of the Pacific Regional Pesticide Registration Scheme (PRPRS). The toolkit training provided participants with the understanding of how the toolkit works and how it could be used to support the PRPRS.  The harmonisation of pesticide registration in the Pacific region is part of a coordinated effort between member countries, FAO and the SPC.  The PRPRS was developed by National Pesticide Registrars working jointly on pesticide registration through earlier workshops held by FAO and SPC in the Pacific. For more information on the PRPRS click here. A large part of the training focused on the consideration of registrations using information from overseas regulators considering data requirements and assessment methods used by other regulators.  Participants worked through the modules on decision making, data requirements, assessment methods, mitigation measures and information sources. Additionally, modules on HHPs and alternatives were also presented and discussed, as was the use of the Toolkit in the day-to-day work of pesticide registration staff.     

A Southeast Asian regional training including Pakistan and Sri Lanka was conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In total, 22 staff from pesticide regulatory authorities of seven (7) countries participated (3 staff each from Laos, Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, 6 staff from Malaysia and 1 from Pakistan) in a PRT training held from 10 to 15 July 2023. The participants were trained in use of the FAO Pesticide Registration Toolkit in view of their work on evaluating and authorizing pesticides in their respective countries. The main modules of the Toolkit were presented, exercised and discussed, including decision making, assessment methods, mitigation measures and information sources. In addition, the module on HHPs was presented and discussed as well as the module on alternatives. It was also discussed how the Toolkit can be used in the day-to-day work of pesticide registration staff. The workshop was financially supported by the Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention (CPSP) and Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI) and was organized and held in collaboration with CPSP.

From 26 February to 2 March 2023, 16 staff of the Plant Protection & Phytosanitary Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and members of the National Pesticide Registration Committee of Jordan participated in a FAO Pesticide Registration Toolkit in Amman, organized jointly by FAO and the Government of Netherlands. Pesticides is widely used in Jordan for boosting agricultural production and exports. Inappropriate pesticide uses pose great threats to human health and the environment and the risks are not properly mitigated, due to weak pesticide management. This hinders the transition of Jordan agriculture to more sustainable and resilient crop production systems and to agro-ecological approaches adoption. The workshop aimed to support the country moves towards sound pesticide management and   minimize pesticides adverse effects on human health and the environment for food security and food safety, contributing to a better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, through strengthening capacities for pesticide registration. The meeting was opened by Mr. Nabil Assaf, FAO Representative in Jordan, Mr Imad Mohammad Eid Jrouh Alawad, Director of Plant Protection & Phytosanitary Directorate, Ministry of Agriculture of Jordan and Mr Coen van Kessel, Second Secretary Economic Affairs, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jordan. They remarked that Jordan is in the process of intensifying its agricultural production to meet domestic demands for food but also to boost agricultural exports. Such intensification usually happens with increasing human health and environmental risks. The FAO Toolkit training will significantly help the National Pesticide Registration Committee members in evaluating hazardous pesticides and in taking appropriate actions to reduce their risks. During the five-day training participants were introduced to different modules of the FAO Pesticide Registration Toolkit, practiced pesticides evaluation through various exercises and case studies, learnt to navigate the ToolKit, and discussed its use in day-to-day regulatory work. The training was highly rated by participants as very helpful in everyday work of risk assessment and decision-making of registration. The follow-up training activities on specific modules of the Toolkit will be further discussed. The FAO Toolkit training was organized within the framework of collaborative project between the governments of the Netherlands and Jordan that is executed by Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Products Safety Authority (NVWA).

The trained officials join over 400 people from more than 70 countries that FAO has taught to navigate the Toolkit and use it effectively since it first went online, in 2016. For two years, COVID-19 prevented the Pesticide Registration Toolkit training workshop from taking place. Now with travel gradually opening up, hybrid workshops are being arranged with participants attending in person and facilitators joining in virtually.  Zimbabwe recently broke the lull, holding its first such workshop on 14-18 February 2022 in Mutare. The session brought together 20 government officials responsible for pesticide regulation and management from the Ministries of Agriculture, Environment, and Health face-to-face with one facilitator Ms Ivy Saunyama, a Toolkit trainer. In addition, three Toolkit trainers from the FAO Plant Production and Protection Division, participated virtually. The participants lauded the Toolkit training and discussed how they would use it in their day-to-day work. They added that they eagerly anticipate updates to the Toolkit, especially the modules on biopesticides.

Un atelier national sur l'application de la Boîte à outils de la FAO pour l'homologation des pesticides s'est tenu à Kigali, au Rwanda, du 29 octobre au 2 novembre 2018. L'objectif de cet atelier de formation était de familiariser les participants avec la structure et le contenu de la Boîte à outils et de discuter de la manière dont elle peut être utilisée dans le travail quotidien du personnel chargé de l'homologation des pesticides. Au total, 16 participants ont suivi la formation avec succès : il s’agissait de membres du personnel des services d'inspection et de certification de l'agriculture et du bétail du Rwanda (RALIS), de la Commission agricole du Rwanda (RAB), de la Commission des normes du Rwanda (RSB), de l'Association des négociants en intrants agricoles du Rwanda (RAIDA), de HortInvest et de l'Organisation de partenariat centré sur l'agrobusiness (AGRIFOP). L'atelier a été organisé par la FAO avec la participation de l'Université de Wageningen.

Un atelier national sur la Boîte à outils de la FAO pour l’homologation des pesticideset la Convention de Rotterdam a été organisé par la FAO du 21 au 25 octobre 2019 au Mexique, en étroite collaboration avec le Secrétariat de la Convention de Rotterdam. L'atelier a réuni 20 participants impliqués dans l'évaluation et l’homologation des pesticides au Mexique et ayant une expérience dans les domaines de la protection des plantes, de l'agriculture, de l'environnement et de la santé publique. L'atelier a été animé par M. Arturo Correa et Mme Alicia De La Rosa, consultants de la FAO, et M. Gero Vaagt, expert en gestion des pesticides. M. Mario Yarto et Mme Elaine Acosta, du Secrétariat de la Convention de Rotterdam, ont animé les sessions sur la Convention de Rotterdam. Cet atelier visait à renforcer la compréhension des obligations et des avantages liés à la Convention de Rotterdam, ainsi que les capacités pour améliorer l’homologation des pesticides au Mexique, grâce à la Boîte à outils développée par la FAO. En outre, et en tant qu'externalité positive, cette activité a généré un espace propice à l'échange d'informations et d'expériences, permettant ainsi d'identifier les lacunes dans le processus d’homologation au Mexique. En conclusion, les autorités mexicaines chargées de l’homologation des pesticides ont souligné certains objectifs à atteindre dans un avenir proche : améliorer la coordination inter-secrétariat ; mettre à jour le cadre juridique ; internaliser la Boîte à outils de la FAO pour l’homologation des pesticides ; accroître et améliorer les capacités institutionnelles (évaluateurs, certificateurs, infrastructure analytique, budget, personnel, incitations, etc.) ; mettre en place une surveillance post-homologation (cadre juridique, surveillance du cycle de vie, contrôle accru des applications, surveillance environnementale et épidémiologique) ; renforcer les accords tels que ceux conclus entre le Mexique, les États-Unis et le Canada (GTT sur les pesticides) (registre commun pour les nouvelles molécules), et avec l'OCDE, le Centre régional de la Convention de Stockholm, le réseau sur les produits chimiques et les déchets (Forum des ministres de l'environnement du GRULAC), entre autres, afin de renforcer les travaux d'évaluation des pesticides.