UNEP's role in environmental exposure and risk assessment of pesticides

This document provides a comprehensive evaluation of UNEP’s current and potential future role in the environmental exposure and risk assessment of pesticides, with particular emphasis on the needs of developing countries. It critically examines the activities of international organizations such as IPCS, FAO, WHO, and OECD in chemical risk evaluation, and identifies areas where UNEP can strengthen its involvement. Key components include a detailed overview of environmental hazard and risk assessment methodologies, including the concepts of Predicted Environmental Concentration and Predicted No Effect Concentration, as well as environmental hazard classification and labelling schemes. The report outlines the institutional gaps in environmental assessments, highlights coordination challenges, and proposes the Joint Meeting on Pesticides as a framework for integrated evaluation. It concludes with targeted recommendations for UNEP to enhance its contributions through capacity building, harmonization efforts, information exchange, and supporting globally recognized classification systems.