View of the dais during a plenary session of the 2nd Meeting of the Intersessional Process for Considering SAICM and the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste Beyond 2020

The third meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG3) of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) will take place in Montevideo, Uruguay from 2-4 April 2019. It will be preceded by regional meetings and a technical briefing on 1 April 2019.

ICCM is the top decision-making body of the voluntary multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral policy framework known as the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM or Strategic Approach). The OEWG’s primary role is to prepare for ICCM sessions and to guide SAICM intersessionally.

OEWG3 will have four principal tasks:

• prepare for ICCM5, scheduled for 5-9 October 2020 in Bonn, Germany;
• assess progress toward the global goal of achieving by 2020 the use and production of chemicals in ways that lead to the minimization of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment;
• discuss the sound management of chemicals and waste beyond 2020, when the current mandate of the Strategic Approach is due to expire; and
• consider the planned activities and draft budget of the SAICM Secretariat for the period 2019-2020.

OEWG3’s review of progress toward the 2020 goal of sound management of chemicals set by the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development will cover:

• the Secretariat’s SAICM progress report for the period 2014-2016;
• implementation of the SAICM Overall Orientation and Guidance (OOG) adopted by ICCM4 in 2015;
• the emerging policy issues (EPIs) and “issues of concern.” EPIs encompass: chemicals in products, lead in paint; nanotechnology and manufactured nanomaterials; and hazardous substances within the lifecycle of electrical and electronic products; endocrine-disrupting chemicals; and environmentally persistent pharmaceutical pollutants. “Issues of concern” include highly hazardous pesticides and perfluorinated chemicals.
• implementation of the SAICM health sector strategy; and
• financing of the Strategic Approach.

The discussion of a post-2020 platform on sound management of chemicals and waste is based on the intersessional process launched by ICCM4. The OEWG will examine:

• an independent evaluation of the Strategic Approach for the period 2006–2015 prepared by a consultant; and
• a “Co-Chairs Paper” on the two intersessional meetings on the subject held in Brasilia, Brazil in February 2017 and Stockholm, Sweden in March 2018 (please consult our summary and analysis of the Brasilia meeting and summary and analysis of the Stockholm meeting).