At the international level the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Health Organization and the International Labour Office (ILO) make recommenda-tions on the distribution and use of pesticides and establish standards for worker pro-tection. These provide guidance to countries in the establishment of national health and safety standards. Part of international policy is based on voluntary adherence of governments, retailers and industry. ILO conventions ratified by the Member States of the United Nations represent international agreements. The United Nations aim to achieve, by 2020, that chemicals are used and produced in ways that lead to the minimisation of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment. Further the UN have committed themselves to strengthen and promote international programmes to reduce occupational deaths, injuries and illnesses. They have reaf-firmed the central place of health on the international agenda for sustainable devel-opment and have reaffirmed the precautionary approach as set out in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (UN/DESA 2004, items 23b, 54m and 109f). The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure provides a means of regulating the trade with toxic chemicals. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has made specific recommendations for the use and marketing of pesticides in the International Code of Conduct. FAO, ILO and WHO cooperate in the International Programme on Chemical Safety. The WHO and FAO have stated earlier that the restriction of pesticides would have to be decided at the national level in view of the circumstances (Ekström & Åkerblom 1992).

References:
Ekström G, and Åkerblom M, Pesticide management in food and water safety: international contributions and national approaches, Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 114, 23-55, 1990

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA), Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, New York 2004

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA), Key commitments, targets and timetables from the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, New York 2002