Pesticide Risk Workshop 2025

From 24–28 November 2025, Mexico City, Mexico, hosted a Regional Workshop on Environmental Risk Assessment for Pesticides. The training aimed to support Rotterdam Convention implementation and enhance regional capacities in pesticide evaluation and registration.

The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure promotes shared responsibility in international trade of hazardous chemicals, safeguarding human health and the environment. Its key objectives include:

• Facilitating information exchange on hazardous chemicals
• Supporting national decision-making processes
• Ensuring import/export decisions are communicated among Parties

Mexico signed the Convention in 1998 and ratified it in 2004, promoting:

• Safe management of highly hazardous pesticides
• Adoption of less hazardous alternatives
• Technical guidance for regulatory authorities

Following a 2019 FAO workshop in Mexico City, Mexico recognized the need to integrate environmental risk evaluation into pesticide registration. While regulations initially did not mandate this, revisions were underway to improve human health and environmental protection.

Workshop Highlights

The workshop facilitated:

• Exchange of information on environmental risk evaluation for pesticides
• Updates on pesticide registration methodologies
• Reaffirmation of Mexico’s commitment to the Rotterdam Convention

Organizers: Rotterdam Convention Secretariat & Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SERMANAT)
Language: Spanish (complementary English materials provided)
Objectives of the Workshop:

• Strengthen capacities of public officers in pesticide evaluation and registration
• Present progress in Mexico’s regulatory framework
• Share success stories using the FAO environmental risk model
• Analyze EU methodologies for environmental risk assessment
• Conduct practical exercises assessing pesticide risks in ecosystems and organisms

Target Audience:

• Designated National Authorities (DNAs)
• Public officers from Ministries of Agriculture, Health, and Environment
• Officers from pesticide evaluation and registration departments across Latin America

Takeaway

This workshop marked a strategic effort to enhance pesticide safety through improved environmental risk assessment, regulatory harmonization, and regional knowledge-sharing, aligning with Rotterdam Convention objectives.

Reference: Mexico Workshop