Women and Chemicals

Existing initiatives
United Nations Entity for Gender
Equality and the Empowerment
of Women (UN Women)
The UN Women website and publications currently have no specific
information on women and chemicals. However, the topic
could and should be integrated in the strategic objectives of the
Women and Environment Diagnosis of UN Women which reads: 2
• Involve women actively in environmental decision-making at
all levels;
• Integrate gender concerns and perspectives in policies and
programs for sustainable development;
• Strengthen or establish mechanisms at the national, regional,
and international levels to assess the impact of development
and environmental policies on women.
It may be an asset to involve UN Women in future activities on
the issue of women and chemicals.
Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm
Conventions Secretariat
The Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
developed a gender action plan (GAP) for 2014-2015. 3 The
Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, and many decisions
of the respective Conventions’ bodies, make reference to gender
issues at various points, e.g. through the BRS publication on “Gender
Heroes”. Gender equality is an integral part of the implementation
of BRS Conventions including Secretariat activities. BRS-GAP
provides the blueprint for actions to promote gender equality
within the Secretariat and gender mainstreaming practices in its
programme of work and activities, including those undertaken in
partnership with other stakeholders.
The goal is to incorporate gender equality into achieving
the common objective of the Conventions, namely protecting
human health and the environment. It is also hoped that the
activities of BRS-GAP would lead to a greater recognition of the
links between gender, poverty and hazardous chemicals and
wastes. The proposed action aims to establish a framework for
gender mainstreaming to assess the results for the short to medium
term (2014-2015) and to review and update present documents
in 2015.
Women are specifically mentioned in the SAICM documents as follows:
Dubai Declaration
18. We will work towards effective and efficient governance
of chemicals management by means of transparency, public
participation and accountability involving all sectors of society,
in particular striving for the equal participation of women in
chemicals management.
SAICM introduction
The involvement of all relevant sectors and stakeholders,
including at the local, national, regional and global levels,
is seen as key to achieving the objectives of the Strategic
Approach, as is a transparent and open implementation process
and public participation in decision‐making, featuring in
particular a strengthened role for women.
OPS Risk Reduction
Risk reduction measures need to be improved to prevent the
adverse effects of chemicals on the health of children, pregnant
women, fertile populations, the elderly, the poor, workers
and other vulnerable groups and susceptible environments.
OPS Governance
(…) that in many countries some stakeholders, particularly
women and indigenous communities, still do not participate
in all aspects of decision-making related to the sound
management of chemicals, a situation which needs to be
addressed.
(…) to promote and support meaningful and active participation
by all sectors of civil society, particularly women, workers
and indigenous communities, in regulatory and other decision‐making
processes that relate to chemical safety.
(…) to ensure equal participation of women in decisionmaking
on chemicals policy and management.
Global Plan of Action
Examples of measures to safeguard the health of women and
children are the minimization of chemical exposures before
conception and through gestation, infancy, childhood and
adolescence.
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