La Exportación de Plaguicidas Prohibidos hacia Africa y Centroamérica

This legal opinion by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the export of pesticides prohibited or not approved in Europe to countries in Africa and Central America is illegal under international law, regional agreements, and human rights obligations.

• The export of pesticides that are prohibited or not approved in Europe to parties of the Bamako Convention in Africa and the Central American Agreement is illegal because these substances are classified as hazardous waste under those regional instruments.
• Exports of prohibited or unapproved pesticides to specific countries—including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mali, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Togo—violate the Basel Convention. This is because Article 1.1.b of the Basel Convention recognizes hazardous waste as defined by the importing party's national legislation, and these countries define such pesticides as hazardous waste.
• European states and any other party to the Basel Convention have a legal obligation to prohibit the export of pesticides that are prohibited or not approved in the producing country to nations where the definitions of hazardous waste from the Bamako Convention or the Central American Agreement are part of national law.
• The failure of European states to prohibit the export of these pesticides constitutes a violation of international human rights obligations, specifically the right to health in importing states, given the known harmful effects of these substances on health and the environment.
• The legal analysis extends beyond European exports and pesticides; any Basel Convention party, such as Canada, China, or Russia, violates international obligations if they export substances prohibited in the country of manufacture to parties of the Bamako Convention or the Central American Agreement.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). La Exportación de Plaguicidas Prohibidos hacia Africa y Centroamérica. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/La-Exportación-de-Plaguicidas-Prohibidos-hacia-Africa-y-Centroamérica-Opinión-Legal-del-Centro-para-el-Derecho-Ambiental-Internacional-CIEL-2.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. La Exportación de Plaguicidas Prohibidos hacia Africa y Centroamérica. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/La-Exportación-de-Plaguicidas-Prohibidos-hacia-Africa-y-Centroamérica-Opinión-Legal-del-Centro-para-el-Derecho-Ambiental-Internacional-CIEL-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=La Exportación de Plaguicidas Prohibidos hacia Africa y Centroamérica |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/La-Exportación-de-Plaguicidas-Prohibidos-hacia-Africa-y-Centroamérica-Opinión-Legal-del-Centro-para-el-Derecho-Ambiental-Internacional-CIEL-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndexportacin, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{La Exportación de Plaguicidas Prohibidos hacia Africa y Centroamérica}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/La-Exportación-de-Plaguicidas-Prohibidos-hacia-Africa-y-Centroamérica-Opinión-Legal-del-Centro-para-el-Derecho-Ambiental-Internacional-CIEL-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }