SAICM regional activities follows the informal regional structure of the United Nations General Assembly comprising the following regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, Western Europe and Other Groups.
The International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) decided its resolution I/1 that intersessional work should be promoted through, among other things, regional meetings.
The SAICM Overarching Policy Strategy, in paragraph 26, indicates that the functions of the regional meetings include:
- To review progress on implementation of the Strategic Approach within the regions;
- To provide guidance on implementation to all stakeholders at a regional level;
- To enable technical and strategic discussions and exchange of information to take place.
Since the adoption of SAICM in February 2006, all regions have had at least one regional meeting and there have also been a number of subregional meetings, generously supported by a number of donor and host Governments.
Each region has a regional focal point. At their first regional meetings, several regions developed terms of reference to guide the work of their focal points. The African, Central and Eastern European, and Latin American and Caribbean regions have established regional coordination bodies.