Article 12. Monitoring and observance of the Code

• 12.1 The Code should be published and should be observed through collaborative action on the part of governments, individually or in regional groupings, appropriate organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, international, governmental and non-governmental organizations and the pesticide industry.
• 12.2 The Code should be brought to the attention of all concerned in the regulation, manufacture, distribution and use of pesticides, so that governments, individually or in regional groupings, pesticide industry, international institutions, pesticide user organizations, agricultural commodity industries and food industry groups (such as supermarkets) that are in a position to influence good agricultural practices, understand their shared responsibilities in working together to ensure that the objectives of the Code are achieved.
• 12.3 All parties should observe this Code and should promote the principles and ethics expressed by the Code, irrespective of other parties' ability to observe the Code. Pesticide industry should cooperate fully in the observance of the Code and promote the principles and ethics expressed by the Code, irrespective of a government's ability to observe the Code.
• 12.4 Independently of any measures taken with respect to the observance of this Code, all relevant legal rules, whether legislative, administrative, judicial or customary, dealing with liability, consumer protection, conservation, pollution control and other related subjects, should be strictly applied.
• 12.5 Governments and other parties concerned:
  • 12.5.1 are encouraged to observe the provisions laid down in any international instruments to which they are party, concerning chemical management, environmental and health protection, sustainable development and international trade, relevant to the Code (Annex 1);
  • 12.5.2 are encouraged, if they have not yet joined, ratified or acceded to such instruments, to evaluate the appropriateness of so doing as soon as possible.
• 12.6 FAO and other competent international organizations should give full support to the observance of the Code.
• 12.7 Governments, in collaboration with FAO, should monitor the observance of the Code and report on progress made to the Director-General of FAO.
• 12.8 Pesticide industry is invited to provide reports to the Director-General of FAO on its product stewardship activities related to observance of the Code.
• 12.9 NGOs and other interested parties are invited to monitor activities related to the implementation of the Code and report these to the Director-General of FAO.
• 12.10 Governing Bodies of FAO should periodically review the relevance and effectiveness of the Code. The Code should be considered a dynamic text which must be brought up to date as required, taking into account technical, economic and social progress.

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