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The main working areas are Occupational Health and Safety, cleaner production, sound agricultural practices, waste management, the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and of the pollutant release and transfer register (PRTRs) including the creation of national and international registers, as well as the prevention of illegal traffic in toxic and dangerous goods What still needs to be done… Success of SAICM will depend on the commitment of the different stakeholders. Implementation is perhaps the biggest challenge facing SAICM – as for most, if not all, chemicals MEAs - along with funding needs. To this end, the development of national Strategic Approach implementation plans is the first important milestone.. For trade unions, as for the rest of civil society organizations, it is essential to demand rights for effective participation in chemicals management forums at all levels of governance. In so doing, it also is necessary to collaborate with other stakeholders and to monitor and follow what governments, the private sector, and other interested parties are doing. Financial and technical resources are necessary for implementation. Indeed, a proper governmental allocation of expertise and capabilities, as well as an adequate, international funding mechanism are key to achieve objectives under SAICM. Box 3.3. What is the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS)? The Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) is a unique forum where governments, international, regional and national organizations, industry groups, public interest associations, labour organizations, scientific associations and representatives of civil society meet to discuss of international chemical policy issues and priorities. IFCS provides a forum for discussing issues of common interest and new and emerging issues in the area of sound management of chemicals. SAICM, substitution of hazardous chemical substances, nanomaterials and nanotechnology are some of the next issues generating interest and attention within IFCS. The functions of IFCS are consultative and advisory, and include : • Defining priorities for cooperative action and facilitating this cooperation; • Recommending concerted international strategies; • Helping strengthen national chemicals management coordination mechanisms; • Identifying gaps in scientific understanding; • Fostering information exchange and technical cooperation; • Reviewing effectiveness of relevant ongoing activities; • Advising governments in their work on chemical safety; • Promoting cooperation among governmental and nongovernmental organizations; • Evaluating progress on agreed actions and recommendations. Read more at: http://www.who.int/ifcs/en/ Source: Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety. “Global Partnerships for Chemical Safety” http://www.who.int/ifcs/en/ Where to get more information? • Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management http://www.chem.unep.ch/saicm/ 120
MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS TRIO: BASEL, ROTTERDAM AND STOCKHOLM CONVENTIONS Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) 35 are a subset of the universe of international agreements. What distinguishes them from other agreements is that they focus on environmental issues, create binding international law, and include multiple countries. Over the years, many MEAs have been negotiated and agreed at the international and regional levels. Some have only a limited number of “Parties”, 36 while others involve almost all the countries around the world. MEAs differ in scope and substance. Nevertheless, they tend to be formulated through a similar process that moves through recognizable stages. These stages include pre-negotiation, negotiation, adoption and signature, ratification and accession, and entry into force. MEAs come in a variety of forms. They can be: • Global: for example, the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal applies throughout the world; or • Regional: for example, the Bamako Convention on the Ban of the Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Waste within Africa, which applies only within the African Region. Civil society participation is allowed in many MEAs, though, for some of them, not at the scope and degree that civil society might want. Nonetheless, civil society should use any available means and forum to make their voices and views clear. In particular, workers and trade unions must bring to these forums their expertise, in terms of their experiences in the workplace, and knowledge of the realities of hazardous chemical contamination and impacts. MEAs and their mechanisms must be seen as genuine opportunities to push forward in the struggle to achieve labour rights, social justice, and fair and equitable development. Indeed, social dialogue has an important role to play in framing MEA regimes. For this to happen, it is important that trade unions spot where and how they can best intervene and participate. Therefore, the following section presents the three most relevant MEAs related to sound and sustainable management of chemicals. BASEL CONVENTION: ABOUT CHEMICALS INTERNATIONAL TRADE MOVEMENT 37 The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal is the most comprehensive global environmental agreement on hazardous and other wastes. It is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from risks posed by hazardous wastes and their transboundary movement. When hazardous wastes are dumped indiscriminately, spilled accidentally or managed improperly, they can cause severe health problems, or even death, and poison water and land for decades. 35 Based on UNEP. “Guide for Negotiators of Multilateral Environmental Agreements” http://www.unep.org/DEC/docs/Guide%20for%20Negotiators%20of%20MEAs.pdf (last accessed 14 April 2008) 36 “Party” is the name given to refer to those countries that have ratified a Convention 37 Based on the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, http://www.basel.int/ 121
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Sound and Sustainable Management of
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SOUND AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF
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Training Manual Prepared by the Int
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UNEP Review / Editon Team: • Oliv
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BACKGROUND The Training Manual on S
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NOTES: 10
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world. According to the Internation
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(f) capacity for rehabilitation of
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MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO CHEMICALS
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There are different international i
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PHYSICAL HAZARDS The physico-chemic
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Although some chemicals are less ha
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Below are listed some of the most t
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These effects may appear at extreme
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LD 50 (lethal dose) refers to the a
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accumulative substances (TPB). For
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Box 1.8. Asbestos: the world’s bi
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• Dermal absorption: skin contact
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• The nervous system is sensitive
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ADVERSE EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
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fall on earth as rain, snow, mist,
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maximum “tolerable” levels. Add
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• Substitution of equipment and p
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The production and use of chemicals
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Box 1.15. Clean Production Cleaner
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Module 1 references Official websit
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MODULE 2: SAFE USE OF CHEMICALS IN
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Box 2.1. Collective agreements and
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In this case, they should first ide
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Manufacturers and suppliers, in par
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Every chemical container in the wor
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14. Transport information: provides
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In drafting this list, workers and
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