• Chapter 19 of Agenda 21
• The roles of various key organizations
• UNEP's Role in Global Chemicals Management, e.g, Rotterdam Convention and POPs Negotiations
• Highlights of progress since UNCED
• The immediate future (2000-2001)
• Some longer term prospects

Programme areas:

A - Expanding and accelerating international assessment of chemical risks

B - Harmonization of classification and labeling of chemicals

C - Information exchange on toxic chemicals and chemical risks

D - Establishment of risk reduction programmes

E - Strengthening of national capacities and capabilities for chemical management

F - Prevention of illegal international traffic in toxic and dangerous products

 

The roles of various organizations

IPCS - International Programme on Chemical Safety, a Joint Programme of UNEP, ILO and WHO (since ~ 1980)

IFCS - Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (new DSt-UNCED)

IOMC - Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (UNEP, FAO, WHO, ILO, NIDO, UNITAR and OECD) (new post UNCED)

The roles of various organizations (eg)

FAO - Agriculture and Food Safety, part of Rotterdam Convention Secretariat, Codex Alimentarius Commission (and JMPR), Unwanted Stocks of Pesticides, Integrated Pest Management

WHO - International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), Codex Alimentarius Commission (and JMPR), Integrated Vector Management, secretariat for IOMC and IFCS

ILO - Worker protection, including from chemicals in the workplace and accidents (conventions 170 and 174), IPCS, classification and labelling 

UNIDO - Cleaner production centres (w/UNEP), technology transfer
 

UNITAR - Training programmes, national profiles

OECD - testing, test guidelines, MAD, risk assessment, risk reduction

Overview of UNEP Chemicals

Has been functioning as a programme of UNEP for >20 years.

Originally named the International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals (IRPTC)

Until 1995, main responsibilities were operating a database (and query/response service) and implementing the voluntary prior informed consent programme under the London Guidelines (with FAO)

New mandates at 1995 Governing Council led to completely refocused programme

New Focus of UNEP Chemicals:

Catalyzing global actions to solve chemical safety problems (example: treaty negotiations)

Assisting countries to take actions to reduce the risks to health and the environment of toxic chemicals (examples: capacity building; information products)

following the state of the knowledge on chemical safety issues and communicating that to customers

Assessing chemical exposures and risks globally and regionally

Rotterdam Convention

UNEP London Guidelines, FAO Code of Conduct

Negotiations jointly hosted by UNEP and FAO from 1996-1998

Convention adopted and signed in Rotterdam, September 1998

Covers the international trade of severely hazardous pesticide formulations, and banned and severely restricted 
chemicals (including pesticides)

Rotterdam Convention (continued)

Procedure - 
1. Government nomination of severely hazardous pesticide formulations
2. Notifications of bans or severe restrictions (2 from 2 PIC regions)
3. Recommendations for inclusion by the Chemical Review Committee (decision guidance document)
4. Decision to include by the Conference of the Parties
5. Importing Country Response
6. Exporter compliance
7. Export notification

Rotterdam Convention (continued)

28 Chemicals and Pesticides in the Convention

Procedures/criteria to add more mandated by Convention

UNEP/FAO Secretariat

Final Act brings the voluntary procedure "in line" with Convention

INC-6 Held 12-16 July in Rome

iCRC-I held February, 2000

INC-7 scheduled October 30 -3 November 2000

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

What are POPs? (toxic, persistent, bioaccumulative, travel long distances in the environment)

Mandates GC 18/32 and 19/13C

Stepwise process:

1. Assessment (IPCS, UNEP, IOMC)

2. Recommendation (IFCS)

3. Decision (UNEP/GC)

4. Action (UNEP)

Programme: Negotiations and Immediate Actions

POPs Negotiations

Objective - reduce and/or eliminate releases of POPs into the environment

Scope:

Begin with 12 POPs (8 pesticides, I industrial chemical, 3 by products)

Criteria and process for additional POPs

Organization of work:

INC - plenary, criteria expert group, subsidiary body on implementation aspects, legal drafting group, "contact groups"

POPs Negotiations (continued)

INC-1 28 Jime/3 July 1998, Montreal

Bureau elected

Rules of procedure adopted

Outline of convention elements agreed

Establishment of a subsidiary body on implementation aspects agreed

Establishment of a Criteria Expert Group agreed

Secretariat tasked to develop background papers and to provide example text for the outline

POPs Club

POPs Negotiations (continued)

INC-2 25-29 January, Nairobi

Preliminary draft text of a possible convention agreed

Subsidiary body on implementation aspects begins work

Criteria Expert Group reports on progress

Detailed work on measures for the 12 POPs begins, general agreement towards using a ban/limited exemption approach for intentionally produced POPs

Secretariat tasked to develop numerous background papers

POPs Negotiations (continued)

INC-3 6-11 September, Geneva

Core work involved discussing draft articles

Subsidiary body on implementation aspects makes significant progress (intersessional bureau work requested)

INC accepts the draft articles developed by the Criteria Expert Group as a basis for further work; amends text during session

Detailed work on measures for the 12 POPs continues, ban/limited exemption approach for intentionally produced POPs elaborated, provisions on byproducts elaborated

Legal Drafting Group begins its work

Secretariat tasked to develop a few background papers

POPs Negotiations (continued)

Criteria Expert Group

CEG-l 26-30 October 1998, Bangkok

CEG-2 14-18 June, Vienna

CEG-l focused on criteria

CEG-2 focused on process

General approach -

Process - country nomination, review by a subsidiary body, decision by the Conference of the Parties

Criteria - numeric criteria for persistence, bioaccumulation, indicative criteria for toxicity and long range transport.

POPs Negotiations (continued)

INC-4 20-25 March 2000, Bonn

Key matters -

1. Implementation Aspects - draft articles

2. Substantial drafting progress

3. All issues on the table

POPs Negotiations {continued)

INC-5 Late 2000, South Africa

Key matters -

1. Conclude negotiations

2. Develop any needed resolutions for the Diplomatic Conference

Diplomatic Conference

21-23 May, 2001 Stockholm

Adopt and sign convention and final act

Capacity Buildings Overview

Awareness Raising - Training - Capacity Building

Budget approximately $2 million USD/year

Awareness Raising

POPs Awareness Raising workshops held for 138 countries

Rotterdam Convention Implementation Support Workshops in progress

Training

PCB identification, management, disposal workshops (w/SBC)

Dioxin/furan identification and reduction workshops

POPs Alternatives Workshops (w/FAO and WHO)

Capacity Buildings Overview (continued)

Training (continued)

Workshops on legislation and infrastructure

Capacity building

National POPs management projects ($5,000-$ 100,000)

Country-based internet/chemical data projects in Africa

Inventories of Unwanted Stocks (w/FAO)

PRTR Pilot Projects

GEF Projects

Regionally-Based Assessment of Persistent Toxic Substances

$5 Million USD global assessment of persistent toxic substances, performed on a regional/subregional basis

Approved by GEF Council and work beginning

Assessment of National Management Needs on Persistent Toxic Substances

~$6 Million USD to assist countries assess and address PTS problems, on a national basis

PDF-B approved, work has begun on project proposal

Highlights of progress since UNCED

Programme Area A -

286 Risk Assessments produced
Risk Assessment methodologies
Development of consistent terminology

Programme Area B -

Globally Harmonized System

 

Programme Area C -

Rotterdam Convention adopted
Numerous ad hoc developments

Highlights of progress since UNCED

Programme Area D-

 >25 Countries have developed or are developing PRTRs
 >40 Countries have poison control centres
APELL and Emergency Response programmes
Obsolete Stocks of Pesticides and Other Chemicals
POPs Negotiations

Programme Area E-

National Profiles
Many bilateral and multilateral assistance activities

Programme Area F -

Little action to date

Some longer term prospects

Rotterdam Convention enters into force (est. 2002)
POPs Convention Enters into Force (est. 2004)
Financial means available for countries to take action on POPs
Increased attention to clean-up activities
Expanded assessment of global environmental problems relating to chemicals (hazard assessment AND exposure assessment)
Broader implementation of PRTRs
Consideration of compliance and enforcement issues pertaining to pesticides and other chemicals
Possible identification of other global chemical problems

The immediate future(2000-2001)

Third session of the IFCS-3 (October, 2000), and possible further work on emissions inventories and illegal traffic.
21st Session of UNEP's Governing Council (February 2001) and a possible Policy Discussion on Chemicals Management.
Implementation of a Globally Harmonized System for Classification and Labeling
Increases in the development in Chemical Risk Assessments
POPs Treaty finalized (December 2000) and adopted (May, 2001)
Increased emphasis on capacity building