CIEL : The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management

 

The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management ("SAICM") is a blueprint for achieving safe production and use of chemicals worldwide by 2020. It includes a non-legally binding public commitment, global policy strategy, and plan of action to guide authorities, industry and civil society for safely managing chemicals. The SAICM has been developed through a consensus-driven process with the active participation of national governments, international organizations, trade unions, public interest NGOs, business, and other civil society organizations. A SAICM preparatory committee was launched in November 2003. The committee's work will culminate in adoption of the SAICM at the International Conference on Chemicals Management ("ICCM"), February 4-6, 2006 in Dubai.

SAICM Timeline

February 2002: The United Nations Environment Programme ("UNEP") endorses a "Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management" at the 7th Special Session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environmental Forum.

September 2002: At the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, governments affirm the goal to minimize significant adverse effects of chemicals use and production on human health and the environment by the year 2020. Towards that end they pledge to complete development of the SAICM by 2005.

November 2003: At the first Preparatory Committee (PrepCom1) in Bangkok, participants identify issues to be addressed under SAICM.
[http://www.chem.unep.ch/saicm/prepcom1/Default.htm]

October 2004: At the second Preparatory Committee meeting (PrepCom2) in Nairobi, participants agree on three principal elements of the SAICM: 1) a High-Level Declaration, 2) an Overarching Policy Strategy, and 3) a Global Plan of Action (the three documents are also collectively known as the "Strategic Approach"). Intersessional work on the Strategic Approach continues through a series of regional meetings and the final draft was targeted for approval at PrepCom3. [http://www.chem.unep.ch/saicm/prepcom2/Default.htm]

September 2005: At the third Preparatory Committee meeting (PrepCom3) in Vienna, last-minute demands from the United States for significant changes to the negotiating documents contribute to a failure to reach consensus. Major portions of the three SAICM documents, including financial considerations and other important matters, were left unfinished.
[http://www.chem.unep.ch/saicm/prepcom3/Default.htm]

February 2006: The SAICM process culminates in the International Conference on Chemicals Management, or ICCM in Dubai. Hopes for smooth adoption of the text were dashed by the resistance of the United States to agree with compromise language concerning financial considerations, principles and approaches, and the relevance of SACIM to trade law. Failure to adopt an effective, adequately financed approach to chemicals management jeopardizes the global 2020 commitment to minimize the adverse effects of chemicals on people and the environment.
[http://www.chem.unep.ch/ICCM/ICCM.htm]

Key Elements of SAICM

• The fundamental goal of SAICM is to "achieve by 2020 that chemicals are used and produced in ways that lead to the minimization of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment."

• SAICM is the result of intensive stakeholder participation including national governments, international organizations, trade unions, public interest NGOs, business, and other civil society organizations who share responsibility for its implementation.

• The Strategic Approach represents a moral and ethical commitment of governments and other stakeholders; it is not a treaty and is not legally binding.

• SAICM applies to the management of a broad range of substances produced by human activity, including industrial and household products, food additives, pesticides, fertilizers, unintentional byproducts, and persistent organic pollutants ("POPS").

• While SAICM is global, much of its focus is on developing countries and economies in transition where the need to develop the technical and regulatory infrastructure for chemical safety is especially acute.

• Significant financial and technical resources will be required to enable these countries to successfully implement the Strategic Approach.

SAICM Documents

SAICM Draft High Level Declaration, SAICM/ICCM.1/2, December 12, 2005.

SAICM Draft Overarching Policy Strategy, SAICM/ICCM.1/3, November 23, 2005.

SAICM Draft Global Plan for Action, SAICM/ICCM.1/4, December 6, 2005.



CIEL Publications

Principles and Approaches of Sustainable Development and Chemicals Management for a Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), Glenn Wiser and Daniel B. Magraw, Jr., Prepared for the Government of Switzerland, July 2005

CIEL, Glenn Wiser, September 2005. International Chemical Management: Background Paper for the 7th Global Civil Society Forum, Glenn Wiser, September 2005

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What is SAICM?

The Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management ("SAICM") is a blueprint to achieve safe production and use of chemicals worldwide by 2020. While the SAICM is not a treaty and is not legally binding, it represents a public commitment, a global policy strategy, and a plan of action to guide authorities, industry and civil society for safely managing chemicals.

Chemicals play an integral part in modern society and provide important materials for a wide variety of industrial and consumer products that contribute towards higher living standards throughout the world. However, indiscriminate production, usage and disposal of chemicals pose serious risks to human health and the environment. The United Nations Environment Programme ("UNEP") in 2002 recognized that a concerted global effort is required to develop sound policies for managing chemicals. The resulting SAICM initiative aims to develop a coherent global framework to better manage the production, use and disposal of chemicals.

The SAICM was developed through a consensus process with the active participation of national governments, international organizations, trade unions, public interest NGOs, business, and other civil society organizations. The SAICM process was launched in November 2003 and culminated in the International Conference on Chemicals Management ("ICCM") in February 4-6, 2006 in Dubai.

Background

In February 2002, the UNEP Governing Council decided that there was a need to further develop SAICM. The foundation of SAICM is the endorsement by UNEP of the Bahia Declaration and the Priorities for Action Beyond 2000 that was initially adopted by the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety ("IFCS") in 2000. Subsequently in September 2002, SAICM was endorsed by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg and a provisional timeline of the two principal goals was set: the completion of the SAICM preparatory process by 2005, and managing the global production of chemicals by 2020. It was decided that the preparatory stage of the SAICM was to formulate a series of guidelines and voluntary measures designed to manage chemicals safety. The next step in the strategy is the voluntary adoption of the guidelines and measures aimed at managing chemical safety by 2020 through ensuring that chemicals are produced, used and disposed-off in ways that minimizes risk on human health and protects the environment. Since then three SAICM Preparatory Meetings ("PrepCom") have been held to develop the content and structure of SAICM.

PrepCom1

The first Preparatory Committee meeting was held in Bangkok from November 9-13, 2003. PrepCom1 participants provided initial comments on the issues that needed to be addressed under SAICM. One key issue discussed was to avoid duplication with other international efforts. PrepCom1 also examined ways to structure discussions on SAICM which encompassed a wide spectrum of stakeholders and most importantly considered the possible outcomes of the SAICM process for its final adoption

PrepCom2

The second Preparatory Committee meeting was held in Nairobi from October 4-8, 2004 and sought to take SAICM a step further. Participants discussed elements of an overarching policy strategy for the management of chemical productions, developed a draft of possible measures to promote chemical safety, and commented on an initial list. Following PrepCom2, delegates agreed that SAICM should comprise a High-Level Declaration by Ministers of participating nations, NGOs and representatives of the private sectors, the Overarching Policy Strategy and Global Plan of Action, also collectively known as the Strategic Approach. The draft documents were subsequently prepared during a series of regional consultations with the aim of having the final versions of all the papers to be ready in time for PrepCom3.

 

PrepCom3

The third Preparatory Committee meeting was held in Vienna September 19-24, 2005 and ended with delegates unable to agree on many key elements of the strategic approach to be adopted in managing chemical safety. The deadlock stems primarily from the last minute demands by the United States on key negotiating documents involving politically sensitive issues of financial and technical support for SAICM, and the overall scope, principles and approaches to be adopted by SAICM. As a result, the three key elements identified in PrepCom2, the High-Level Declaration, the Overarching Policy Strategy and Global Plan of Action which were to have been resolved at PrepCom3 and adopted at the International Conference on Chemical Management ("ICCM") in Dubai on February 2006 were left incomplete, and became the subject of further negotiations in Dubai.

ICCM

The ICCM was held in Dubai February 4-6, 2006 in advance of the 9th Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council /Global Ministerial Environment Forum from February 7-9, 2006. Following from PrepCom3, the objective of ICCM was to achieve a consensus on the three SAICM documents (i.e., the High-Level Declaration, Overarching Policy Strategy, and Global Plan of Action) and win ministerial endorsement for the implementation of the SAICM. The ICCM resolved key issues pertaining to financial and technical assistance for SAICM. The ICCM also sets out clear objectives and scope to be adopted for the purpose of meeting the 2020 goals of achieving global chemical productions that minimizes significant adverse effects on human health and the environment.

The Strategic Approach encompasses three key elements to meet the 2020 Goal

• High Level Declaration is a statement of commitment by the various stakeholders of SAICM;

• The Overarching Policy Strategy contains the scope, statement of needs, fundamental objectives, financial considerations, implementation, principles and approaches of SAICM; and,

• The Global Plan of Action contains a range of concrete measures that acts as a guide on the actual execution of SAICM.

• The scope of chemicals covered by the SAICM broad and non-exhaustive. Chemical substances produced by human activity include industrial and household products, food additives, pesticides, fertilizers, unintentional byproducts, and persistent organic pollutants. In essence, SAICM would complement and help integrate the more than 50 regional and international agreements on chemicals and waste management.

• The geographical scope of SAICM is global but the main focus for its implementation will be on southern countries and countries with transition economies where the need to develop the technical and regulatory infrastructure for chemical safety is especially acute

Contacts

SAICM Secretariat
c/o UNEP Chemicals
11-13 chemin des anemones
CH-1219 Chatelaine, Geneva
Switzerland
Tel:. (41 22) 917 8200
Fax: (41 22) 797 3460
Email: strategy@chemicals.unep.ch

SAICM Steering Committee

The SAICM Steering Committee was formed in 2002 as a facilitative mechanism to oversee the practical aspects and planning of the SAICM development process. The committee comprises the 7 participating organizations of the Inter-Organization Programme on the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC), the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank. The IOMC participating organizations are the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Links:

UNEP Chemicals SAICM website

Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS)

Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC)

IISD Earth News Bulletin coverage of SAICM

IPEN Dubai Declaration for a Toxics-Free Future