Hosted by:

Government of Aragon

Languages:

Spanish and English – simultaneous translation will be available during the sessions.

Approach

Advances for the solution of the problem caused by POPs pesticides and HHPs and other POPs will only succeed if it is approached from a joint perspective in which technical, political, economic, and social entities collaborate and establish cooperation for mutual benefit.

The aim of the forum is to provide support to achieve political commitments which go to the European regional sphere, facilitating knowledge transfer, resource optimization and utilization of available technologies, all with the aim of achieving specific goals.

The preliminary programme of the 14^th Forum includes three days of discussions and a one-day field trip on February, the 24^th.

Objectives

The Forum objectives are:

• To review past and ongoing activities in the field of Lindane productions and related HCH-contamination problems globally with an emphasis on Spain, and on the European Union, as well as the networking with EU and globally.
• To review past and ongoing activities in the field of POPs pesticides and other POPs problems in Central European and EECCA Countries and globally and the Effectiveness of the Conventions and chemical pollution problems and consequences of the main environmental problems.
• Progress on the extent of problems and solutions for New Emerging POPs like PFOS/PFOA and other PFAS or HCBD/HCB and related organochlorine solvent legacies.
• Progress on the extent of problems and solutions for brominated POPs (PBDEs, HBCD, HBB) and SCCPs/chlorinated paraffins and PCBs and others.
• To summarize what has been realized from the 1^st Forum in 1992 till today at the 14^th Forum in 2023.
• To define the strategy for the next decennia.
• To discuss, based on the example of the strategy developed in the EU financed HCH in EU project, the national and regional strategies, action plans and financial resources for elimination of obsolete and POPs and highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) – How to move from discussion to action.
• To review and exchange technologies and experiences for inventory, risk assessment, environmental impact assessment of central stores, environmentally sound management, storage, destruction of obsolete pesticides, contaminated soils, and empty containers.
• To raise awareness of the POPs and other highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) and other POPs problems globally, regionally, nationally, locally.
• To show successful regional and national initiatives, engagement of NGOs and academic institutions.
• To make the status of the national legislation over the last decade and the environmental responsibility issues and assess if these developments can be used as examples for other countries in the region and elsewhere.

Background:

Starting in 1992, 31 years later, the international meeting of experts on issues related to obsolete and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) pesticides meets again in Spain. In its 14^th edition, the International HCH and Pesticides Forum will address the issue of lindane, and the consequences of mismanagement have had on the Spanish territory.

This Forum is undertaken under the framework of the EU LIFE + Environment Programme, in which the European Commission has awarded the project “SURFactant enhanced chemical oxidation for remediatING DNAPL” (LIFE SURFING) under implementation in Sabiñánigo, Spain, which is the follow-up of the successful EU LIFE + Project: “Lab to field, soil remediation demonstrative project: new ISCO application to environmental Multicomponent DNAPL problem” (DISCOVERED LIFE).

Secondly, under the framework of the European Regional Development Fund European Network of Lindane waste affected regions working together towards a greener environment – EU LINDANET is working for three years. Progress of works and results of this first European Lindane network.

From the 21^st to the 23^rd of February 2023, Zaragoza with its beautiful Caja Rural de Aragon Building, will be the meeting place for hundreds of researchers, experts, environmentalists and representatives from countries affected by mismanagement of POPs pesticides and other POPs, among others groups, who will give evidence of progress in research to reduce and eliminate pollution, caused by the lindane production and the related HCH wastes being dumped everywhere and more precisely in the Bailin bedrock near the Pyrenees. On the 24^th of February, a one-day field trip to the Sabiñánigo site will be organized.

A critical reflection on the past and present situation of consequences of Lindane production and management in the other EU member states and regional cooperation in the EU will be presented as results from ongoing EU projects (and recently finalized HCH in EU project) that allow the evaluation of different solutions to specific problems and building bridges between the wide range of actors and affected countries. The purpose of this meeting is to facilitate the exchange of related problems arising from the manufacture of POPs and POPs pesticides and promote international cooperation in finding solutions, experiences and enable transfer of practical solutions and facilitate new initiatives for new partnerships.

Sustainable Event System

The event will follow a system of sustainable events. Its methodology and criteria consist of the implementation of a system that allows to improve the management of the event in a sustainable way.

Press the buttons below to find out more about 14th Forum as a sustainable event (English, Spanish)