L'exportation de Pesticides Interdits Vers l'Afrique et l'Amérique Centrale

This legal briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the export of pesticides banned or not approved in their countries of origin—specifically from Europe to Africa and Central America—violates international law, including the Basel Convention, the Bamako Convention, and the Central American Agreement, as well as international human rights obligations.

• The export of pesticides that are banned or not approved in Europe to parties of the Bamako Convention in Africa and the Central American Agreement constitutes a violation of these regional instruments, as both consider such substances to be hazardous waste.
• Exports of banned or unapproved pesticides to specific countries—including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, 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 includes waste defined as hazardous by the importing party's national legislation, and these countries define pesticides banned in their producing countries as hazardous waste.
• European states and other parties to the Basel Convention have a legal obligation to prohibit the export of banned or unapproved pesticides to states that define them as hazardous waste under international legal obligations such as the Bamako Convention or the Central American Agreement.
• The failure of European states to prohibit the export of these pesticides is framed as a violation of international human rights obligations, as it impairs the right to health in importing states.
• The legal analysis extends beyond Europe; any party to the Basel Convention, such as Canada, China, or Russia, violates international obligations if they export substances banned on their own soil to parties of the Bamako Convention or the Central American Agreement.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). L'exportation de Pesticides Interdits Vers l'Afrique et l'Amérique Centrale. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Lexportation-de-Pesticides-Interdits_FR.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. L'exportation de Pesticides Interdits Vers l'Afrique et l'Amérique Centrale. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Lexportation-de-Pesticides-Interdits_FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=L'exportation de Pesticides Interdits Vers l'Afrique et l'Amérique Centrale |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Lexportation-de-Pesticides-Interdits_FR.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndlexportation, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{L'exportation de Pesticides Interdits Vers l'Afrique et l'Amérique Centrale}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Lexportation-de-Pesticides-Interdits_FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }