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Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170) - Burkina Faso (RATIFICATION: 1997)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

The Committee notes the Government’s report in reply to its previous comments, including information regarding Decree No. 451/PRES promulgating Act No. 033-2004/AN of 14 September 2004 concerning the Labour Code. It also notes the legislative and regulatory texts attached to each report concerning, in particular, regulations on pesticides, pollutants in the air, water and soil, oil storage facilities, and also the ratification by the Government of the Stockholm Convention on the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and the Rotterdam Convention on the prior informed consent procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade. The Committee notes that the scope of the legislative text to which the Government refers only partially covers the scope of the Convention.

While recognizing that Burkina Faso is a largely agricultural country in which the necessary infrastructure and competence to ensure rational management of chemicals, as provided for in the Convention, are in the process of being developed, the Committee cannot fail to note that there are still gaps in the applicable regulations. It reminds the Government that this Convention necessitates the adoption of laws, regulations, technical standards, practical directives and other documents and measures applying the provisions of this Convention. Relevant legislative texts must be concerned with chemicals as a whole and not limited only to pesticides. The Committee requests the Government to implement, in the very near future, appropriate national legislation giving full effect to the provisions of the Convention, and draws the Government’s attention to the possibility of availing itself of technical assistance provided by the ILO with a view to implementing the necessary legislative measures regarding safety in the use of chemicals at work.