At the international level the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Health Organization and the International Labour Office (ILO) make recommendations on the distribution and use of pesticides and establish standards for worker protection. 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.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has made specific recommendations for the use and marketing of pesticides in the International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides.
The UNO Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure provides a means of regulating the trade with toxic chemicals. In 2010, Burkina Faso proposed to include “Gramoxone Super” (containing 200g/L Paraquat ion or above) as Severely Hazardous Pesticide Formulations (SHPF) to the list of regulated chemicals (more information).