HEJSupport has joined the Global Alliance on Highly Hazardous Pesticides (GAHHPs), a new international multi-stakeholder initiative to accelerate action to address the serious health and environmental impacts of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs).
Our membership comes at a time when new research is once again demonstrating the enormous scale of pesticide-related harm worldwide. A recent study reported by The Guardian estimates that 402–433 million farmers and farm workers experience unintentional acute pesticide poisoning every year – around 46% of the global farming population. An estimated 11,000 people die from pesticide poisoning annually.
These figures are alarming, but they still do not show the full burden of pesticide exposure. The study focused on acute poisoning and did not assess longer-term health impacts. It also did not include the estimated 84 million children working in agriculture. According to the latest ILO–UNICEF estimates, agriculture accounts for 61% of all child labour globally.
The findings reinforce an urgent message: preventing pesticide poisoning cannot rely on individual farmers and workers protecting themselves from inherently hazardous substances. We need systemic measures that prevent exposure and accelerate the transition away from highly hazardous pesticides.
A global commitment to phase out highly hazardous pesticides
The Global Alliance was endorsed at the Fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5) through Resolution V/11 and supports implementation of the Global Framework on Chemicals – For a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste (GFC).
At the heart of this work is GFC Target A7, which calls for effective measures by 2035 to phase out highly hazardous pesticides in agriculture where risks have not been managed, and safer, affordable alternatives are available, while promoting the transition to and availability of those alternatives.
Equally important is Target D5, which calls on governments by 2030 to implement policies and programmes that increase support for safer and more sustainable agricultural practices, including agroecology, integrated pest management and non-chemical alternatives.
Together, these targets are important because phasing out HHPs and developing alternatives must go hand in hand. Farmers cannot be expected to carry the burden of this transition alone. Governments, pesticide producers, the food and agricultural supply chain and other stakeholders must help create the regulatory, financial and technical conditions that make safer approaches accessible and affordable.
From managing risks to preventing harm
Highly hazardous pesticides can cause severe acute and chronic effects on human health and the environment. Farmers and agricultural workers, their families, and their communities can be particularly exposed, while pesticide pollution also affects biodiversity, soil, water, and food systems.
The scale of poisoning highlighted by the new research raises a fundamental question: if hundreds of millions of farmers and farm workers are being poisoned every year, can the current approach to pesticide risk management really be considered adequate?
For HEJSupport, the response must go beyond attempting to manage unacceptable risks. Policies should prioritize prevention, substitution and the phase-out of highly hazardous pesticides, while ensuring access to safer, affordable and sustainable alternatives.
The Global Alliance provides an important opportunity to turn these principles into action. Its areas of work include raising awareness of the health and environmental impacts of HHPs; identifying and promoting safer and more sustainable agricultural practices; sharing experiences of successful HHP phase-outs; strengthening national regulatory frameworks; and mobilizing support for farmers and agricultural workers transitioning away from HHPs.
Bringing a civil society perspective to the Alliance
HEJSupport will contribute its expertise in international chemicals policy, chemical safety, transparency and the right to know, gender and chemicals, and the protection of communities particularly affected by hazardous chemical exposure.
Our participation will also build on our work within the Global Framework on Chemicals and our cooperation with civil society organizations in different regions and countries. We see a strong need to ensure that the experiences and knowledge of farmers, agricultural workers, affected communities, women and civil society organizations are reflected in international decisions about pesticide policy.
Importantly, action on HHPs must not simply replace one hazardous pesticide with another. The transition should reduce dependency on hazardous chemicals and give greater priority to agroecological approaches, integrated pest management and effective non-chemical alternatives.
Joining the Alliance is therefore about more than addressing individual pesticides. It is about contributing to a broader transformation towards agricultural and food systems that protect human health, workers, communities, biodiversity and the environment.
The Global Alliance is expected to be officially launched at the first International Conference of the Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC IC1), taking place in Geneva from 16–20 November 2026.
HEJSupport looks forward to working with other Alliance members to help turn the commitments under the Global Framework on Chemicals into concrete action.
With almost half of the world’s farmers and farm workers estimated to experience acute pesticide poisoning each year, the case for action could hardly be clearer: highly hazardous pesticides must be phased out, and farmers must be supported in the transition towards safer and sustainable alternatives.
