The Cook Islands was present at the 2025 Basel-Rotterdam-Stockholm Conference of the Parties (BRS COP), which concluded in Geneva on May 9.

Temarama Anguna-Kamana, Secretary of Te Pae Tanu/Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), and Halatoa Fua, Director of Te Tu'anga Taporoporo/National Environment Service (NES) represented the country at the event.

The BRS Conventions address critical environmental and health issues surrounding hazardous chemicals and waste:

• Basel Convention: Regulates the cross-border movement of hazardous waste.
• Rotterdam Convention: Governs the trade of certain hazardous pesticides and industrial chemicals.
• Stockholm Convention: Seeks to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

The focal point for the Basel and Stockholm Convention falls under NES, and Rotterdam Convention under MOA.

The Cook Islands is one of a few Pacific countries that have ratified all three multilateral environment agreements.

In Geneva, the Cook Islands held bilateral meetings with the Secretariats of the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions to begin developing a national system for registering pesticides and chemicals.

This initiative will be jointly led by the NES and MOA, with a focus on phasing out hazardous substances such as paraquat.

As part of this effort, further review and reform of existing policies and legislation on pesticides and industrial chemicals will be necessary to strengthen protections for human health and the environment against the dangers posed by persistent organic pollutants.

Key Outcomes of the 2025 BRS COP were Pacific island nations, including the Cook Islands, played an active role in ensuring the voices of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) were considered in key policy discussions.

The new chemical ban: Delegates agreed to ban the production and use of medium-chained chlorinated paraffins—hazardous chemicals commonly found in plastics like PVC—under the Stockholm Convention.

Despite the progress, efforts to expand the list of banned chemicals faced resistance. Several dangerous pesticides—including methyl bromide, chlorpyrifos, iprodione, and paraquat—were not added to the banned list due to opposition from a small number of countries.

Representatives from nine Pacific countries attended the BRS COP including the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Melina Etches/Media Release