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A national workshop on the Pesticide Registration Toolkit and the Rotterdam Convention was organized from 21 – 25 October 2019 in Mexico, by FAO in close collaboration with the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat.

The workshop was attended by 20 participants involved in the evaluation and registration of pesticides in Mexico with backgrounds in plant protection, agriculture, environment and public health. The workshop was facilitated by Mr Arturo Correa and Ms Alicia De La Rosa, FAO consultants, and Mr Gero Vaagt, pesticide management expert. Mr Mario Yarto and Ms Elaine Acosta, of the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat, facilitated the sessions on the Rotterdam Convention.

This workshop aimed to strengthen the understanding of the obligations and benefits related to the Rotterdam Convention, as well as the capabilities to improve pesticide registration in Mexico, with the Toolkit developed by FAO. Additionally, and as a positive externality, this activity generated a propitious space to exchange information and experiences, thereby identifying gaps in the registration process in Mexico. As a conclusion, the Mexican authorities in charge of pesticide registration pointed out some goals to achieve in the near future: improve intersecretarial coordination; update the legal framework; internalize the FAO Pesticide Registration Toolkit; increase and improve institutional capacities (evaluators, certifiers, analytical infrastructure, budget, personnel, incentives, etc.); generate post-registration surveillance (legal framework, supervise in the life cycle, carry out greater control of applications, environmental monitoring and epidemiological surveillance); strengthen agreements such as MEXICO-USA-CANADA (TWG pesticides) (joint registry for new molecules), and with OECD, the Regional Center of the Stockholm Convention, chemical and waste network (Forum of Environment Ministers of GRULAC), among others, in order to strengthen the work in the evaluation of pesticides.