The fourth session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM4) endorsed Overall Orientation and Guidance for Achieving the 2020 Goal as a voluntary tool that sets out action points and will assist in the prioritization of SAICM implementation efforts towards 2020.
Six core activity areas have been identified towards the achievement of the overall 2020 goal, namely:
- Enhance the responsibility of stakeholders
- Establish and strengthen national legislative and regulatory frameworks for chemicals and waste
- Mainstream the sound management of chemicals and waste in the sustainable development agenda
- Increase risk reduction and information sharing efforts on emerging policy issues
- Promote information access
- Assess progress towards the 2020 goal of minimizing the adverse effects of chemicals on human health and the environment
ICCM4 urged all stakeholders to take concerted steps to implement the Overall Orientation and Guidance, including the 11 basic elements identified therein. The 11 basic elements that have been recognized as critical at the national and regional levels to the attainment of sound chemicals and waste management include:
- Legal frameworks that address the life cycle of chemicals and waste
- Relevant enforcement and compliance mechanisms
- Implementation of chemicals and waste-related multilateral environmental agreements, as well as health, labour and other relevant conventions and voluntary mechanisms
- Strong institutional frameworks and coordination mechanisms among relevant stakeholders
- Collection and systems for the transparent sharing of relevant data and information among all relevant stakeholders using a life cycle approach, such as the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
- Industry participation and defined responsibility across the life cycle, including cost recovery policies and systems as well as the incorporation of sound chemicals management into corporate policies and practices
- Inclusion of the sound management of chemicals and waste in national health, labour, social, environment and economic budgeting processes and development plans
- Chemicals risk assessment and risk reduction through the use of best practices
- Strengthened capacity to deal with chemicals accidents, including institutional strengthening for poison centres
- Monitoring and assessing the impacts of chemicals on health and the environment
- Development and promotion of environmentally sound and safer alternatives
The SAICM secretariat is collecting information from regions and sectors in supporting the SAICM national focal points to undertake the action points set out in the Overall Orientation and Guidance. The collection of information will also assist the secretariat in reporting on SAICM implementation.
SAICM regional focal points in coordination with national focal points; the non-governmental sectoral representatives (Industry, Health, Trade Union, Civil Society Organizations or other); relevant SAICM focal points; the IOMC; and other relevant stakeholders were asked to compile information for their respective regions and sectors before 14 October 2016.
The information provided by stakeholders should be submitted using the ICCM5 Bureau approved tracking table.
The submissions should be sent to saicm.chemicals [at] unep.org (saicm[dot]chemicals[at]unep[dot]org)