UNITAR Global Thematic Workshop on Governance, Civil Society Participation and Strengthening Partner

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UNITAR Global Thematic Workshop on Governance,
Civil Society Participation and Strengthening
Partnerships for Chemicals and Waste Management
and SAICM Implementation
The Role, Benefits and Expectations
of Public Interest NGOs in SAICM

• Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith CoChair,
• International POPs Elimination Networkbiomap_at_ozto
  xics.orghttp//www.oztoxics.org

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International POPs Elimination Network

• Global non-profit network of 350 public interest
  NGOs in 65 countries working for elimination of
  POPs toxic chemicals of similar concern
• effective implementation of Stockholm Convention
  other chemical MEAs
• active participants in SAICM
• SAICM - strong global consensus of urgent need
• integrated approach / national international
  coordination
• HLD - acknowledge problems enhances profile of
  chemical management
• OPS principles / framework
• GPA - strategies / tools
• WSSD 2020 goal

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Role of Public Interest Organisations in
Chemicals Management

• Non-governmental public health and environmental
  organizations, trade unions and other civil
  society organizations have made important
  contributions to the promotion of chemical
  safety - SAICM High Level Declaration 2006
• We work with representatives of civil society,
  seeking to draw on their expertise and local
  knowledge of industrial chemicals (including
  hazards, exposure, controls and use), and ensure
  their equitable involvement in chemical decisions
  that affect them.
• - NICNAS Community Engagement Charter 2005-06
• NGOs essential to environmentally sound chemical
  management
• right to participate meaningfully in decisions
  about chemical safety that affect them
• - Bahia Declaration on Chemical Safety 2000

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NGO Contributions to Chemicals Management

• International POPs Elimination Project (IPEP)
• Aims
• enhance NGOs skills knowledge as stakeholders
• establish regional national NGO capacity
• Medium-sized GEF project
• 200 NGOs in 64 DC/EITs / 8 Regional Hubs
• 290 activities POPs country situation reports,
  mapping POPs stockpiles contaminated sites,
  promoting cleanup disposal, documenting POPs
  use, sampling soil, eggs, fish, people,
  investigating new POPs, worker civil society
  awareness raising waste prevention
• Multi-lingual website - http//www.oztoxics.org/ip
  epweb/
• Outcomes
• awareness knowledge about POPs chemical
  issues
• NGO / civil society capacity to address chemical
  management
• contribute to ratification NIPs

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NGO Contributions cont..

• The Egg Report, Contamination of chicken eggs
  from 17 countries by dioxins, PCBs and
  hexachlorobenzene
• - Dioxin, PCBs Waste Working Group
• dioxin, furan, PCB HCB in free-range chicken
  eggs
• bio-indicator of food environmental
  contamination
• 17 countries / 5 continents
• waste incinerators/dumps, cement kilns,
  metallurgical industries, chemical production
• Majority exceeded EU level some highest dioxin
  levels
• Outcomes
• first U-POPs datasets for many countries
• link pollution sources exposure patterns
• indicated priority areas for action
• Demonstrates benefits of NGOs in data generation
  for chemical management.

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NGO Contributions cont..

• Core Consultative Committee on Waste Stakeholder
  Involvement Program to Establish New Better
  Hazardous Waste Treatment Facilities
• - a stakeholder lead partnership of industry,
  public interest labour NGOs government
• Aims
• maximise participation enhance siting process
• broader context of minimizing hazardous waste
  generation
• ensure proposed locations technologies
  broadly-supported
• 3C Committee
• designed implemented public involvement
  program
• criteria for hazwaste destruction technologies
  site selection
• Outcomes
• waste destruction awareness public debate
• acceptance of technologies site criteria
• public nominations for hazwaste precinct sites

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What have we learnt ?

• Importance of Capacity Building through Active
  Participation
• Unless the community has the capacity to receive
  the information, to interpret it, and to
  incorporate it into the decision making process,
  the amount and quality of information provided is
  irrelevant. - UN Earthwatch
• Effective Chemical Management requires
• stakeholder involvement / cooperative decision
  making
• local/regional NGOs to highlight issues, set
  priorities, monitor activities, ownership
• equitable access to information, expertise
  resources
• proactive capacity building - flow on benefits
  to govt. industry
• Capacity Building
• NGOs critical to design implementation
• reflect specific needs /CIS
• requires clear problem definition, participatory
  design feedback cycle
• Relatively small amounts of funding have major
  results

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Role NGO Expectations for Effective
Stakeholder Involvement in SAICM

• The involvement of all relevant sectors and
  stakeholders, inc. 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. - SAICM OPS
• Partnership with all stakeholders - SAICM
  Resolution
• utilise NGO SAICM focal points
• active involvement in SAICM Regional meetings
  activities
• assistance through Quick Start Program other
  funding /partnership mechanisms
• drive implementation-related activities at
  country/regional level
• IPEN SAICM Implementation Plan
• guide local/national NGOs
• create funding opportunities using IPEP Model
• Major constraints
• Lack of Funding / Low priority in development
  cycle
• Trade arguments / Junk /Sound Science
• Litigation

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IPEN Dubai Declaration for a Toxics-Free
Future, ICCM 2006

• to work for and achieve by the year 2020 a
  Toxics-Free Future, in which all chemicals are
  produced and used in ways that eliminate
  significant adverse effects on human health and
  the environment, and where persistent organic
  pollutants (POPs) and chemicals of equivalent
  concern no longer pollute our local and global
  environments, and no longer contaminate our
  communities, our food, our bodies, or the bodies
  of our children and future generations.