At the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Stockholm Convention, the COP took a decision to establish an expert group to assess the global production and use of DDT and its alternatives and to examine how Parties were proceeding in building capacity to reduce the use of DDT for disease vector control.
The terms of reference for the establishment of the DDT Expert Group was adopted by the COP, at its third meeting in 2007, which included the nomination and selection of members from Party States in all the UN regions and from experts selected by the World Health Organization and by the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention. The members hold office for a period of four years. The DDT Expert Group meets once at least six months before each COP and provides a report with recommendations for the COP to evaluate the continued need for DDT for disease vector control.