Pledge

Pesticide Free Towns Pledge of [Name of City or Town] Municipality

I, [Name], [Mayor or official representative] of [name of city or town] Municipality commit to the necessities of taking action towards becoming free from pesticides/biocidal products for a greener and healthier environment for our citizens.

Becoming a ‘‘Pesticide Free Town’’ envisions human settlements where the use of pesticides and biocidal products is replaced with ecological and environment friendly alternatives, hence, the health of citizens and the environment is safeguarded, biodiversity is enhanced and an improved quality of life is achieved.

To achieve this vision, [name of city/town] Municipality pledges to adopt appropriate policies and measures to implement the following objective(s):

1. Taking necessary legislative steps to ban the use of herbicides in public areas under municipalities’ control by 2025, and reduce other pesticides’ and biocidal products’ use to 50% by 2030.
2. Completely banning the use of all pesticides in all public areas under municipalities’ control by 2040.
3. In order to extend the ban of pesticides and biocidal products to private areas with public access and agricultural areas next to where citizens live, creating a participatory strategic action plan and informing relevant stakeholders to participate in this plan; creating a working group in this regard under the city council.

In order to put into effect the pesticide free vision, [name of city/town] Municipality commits specifically to:

• Adopt an action plan with quantitative targets, timetables and measures to phase-out of all pesticides in public areas under [name of city/town] Municipality’s control, prioritizing areas accessed by children and other vulnerable groups, including plans for continuous phase-out for private areas with public access and agricultural areas next to where citizens live.
• Develop and promote campaigns aimed at informing citizens about the transition to become pesticide-free, and the reasons for it; encourage citizens to actively support the transition by promoting the use of sustainable alternatives in private gardens, allotments/fields, commercial areas and all private properties with public access.
• Communicate with and involve all stakeholders (communal gardeners, local farmers, village/neighbourhood headmen, private sector, housing compound managers, etc.).
• Exchange good practices and experience with other municipalities who signed this pledge, provide regular updates on the state of play of undertaken activities, achievements and failures, and mobilizing unions of municipalities in this regard.

 

DATE OF COMMITMENT: … / … / …

COMMITTED BY: [Name and title of the Mayor or official representative]

ADDRESS: [Full postal address of city/town municipality]

PHONE: [Phone number of city/town municipality and/or official representative]

E-MAIL: [E-mail address of city/town municipality and/or official representative]

OFFICIAL SIGNATURE: [Signature of city/town Mayor and/or official representative]