Capacity Building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries

Between 2009 and 2013, FAO implemented a component of the European Commission programme MEAs Phase 1 (MEAs 1) entitled: “The clean-up of obsolete pesticides, pesticides management and sustainable pest management” in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific regions. MEAs 1 has made significant progress in building the capacity of regional and national institutions to reduce the social and environmental impacts associated with pesticides, to minimize their use in agriculture, to strengthen their regulation and to eliminate obsolete stocks according to safety standards as set in the international conventions on chemicals and waste (Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions).

The second phase of the programme (MEAs 2) started in 2013 with a duration of four years. The FAO component for MEAs 2 has an expanded scope including the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in recognition of the fact that agricultural practices contribute to the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity, and indeed depend on many ecosystem services such as pollination and pest control, but are also a major driver of biodiversity loss. Sound chemical management, in particular of pesticides, is key to sustainable intensification of agriculture and conservation of biodiversity.