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Fri 19 & Summary



Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety VI:
Global Partnership in Chemical Safety
Contributing to the 2020 Goal 

15-19 September 2008 | Dakar, Senegal

 

Highlights for Friday, 19 September 2008

On Friday, the IFCS closing plenary convened and adopted two resolutions, two recommendations and one statement. These include a resolution on the future of the IFCS, which invites the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) to integrate the Forum into the ICCM as an advisory body. Delegates also adopted the Dakar Statement on Manufactured Nanomaterials. They were, however, unable to reach an agreement on international transport of lead and cadmium via trade. In the closing ceremony, Sidy Gueye, Director of Cabinet, Ministry of the Environment, the Protection of Nature, Retention Basins and Artificial Lakes, Senegal, thanked everyone for their hard work and expressed hope that the Forum's recommendations would be implemented. He declared the meeting closed at 4:35 pm.

Above photo L-R: Ndiaye Cheikh Sylla (Senegal), Sidy Gueye, Director of Cabinet, Ministry of the Environment, the Protection of Nature, Retention Basins and Artificial Lakes of Senegal and Judy Stober, IFCS Executive Secretary.

CLOSING PLENARY:


Chair Michael Wittmann, Austria, introduced the Draft Dakar Recommendations on Substitution and Alternatives.
Chair Reiner Arndt, Germany, of the working group on international transport of lead and cadmium via trade, said that after extensive discussions and exchanges of information, the group was unable to reach consensus on whether these chemicals posed unacceptable risks to human health and the environment.
Ravi Agarwal, Toxic Link, presented a draft resolution for eliminating lead in paints.
Chair Romy Quijano, PAN AP, introduced the draft recommendations on ecologically based integrated pest management and integrated vector management.
Vice-President Jamidu Katima introduced the resolution on the future of the IFCS and the key elements for operation of the Forum, forwarded to plenary by the working group.
The Czech Republic, supporting the text on the future of the IFCS, clarified that the new advisory body would not in any way diminish the roles and functions of the current Forum.

Karel Bláha, Czech Republic
WHO reiterated its support to continue hosting the IFCS secretariat now that delegates had decided that the Forum will contribute to the overall strategic approach to enhance chemicals management.

Alexander von Hildebrand, WHO
Switzerland said her country remains strongly committed to the IFCS, including financially, in its function of providing a nonbureaucratic, open, flexible and inclusive forum for discussion.

Bettina Hitzfeld, Switzerland

Iran said he hoped the resolution will provide solid ground for the ICCM to integrate the IFCS, while upholding its status, role and functions.

Gholamhossein Dehghani, Islamic Republic of Iran, IFCS Vice-President, Asia and the Pacific 
CIEL was pleased with the fair and balanced resolution, which he said will facilitate the forthcoming decision of the ICCM on the integration of the Forum.

Glen Wiser, Center for International Environmental Law
Chair Georg Karlaganis, Switzerland, presented the final version of The Dakar Statement on Manufactured Nanomaterials. He stated that the working group had removed the bracketed text.
Senegal thanked delegates for his country's nomination as the new IFCS President and expressed commitment towards achieving the 2020 goal in an atmosphere of transparency and openness. 

Ndiaye Cheikh Sylla, Senegal

Several delegates and IFCS regional Vice-Presidents thanked the host country, the IFCS President Zoltán Szabó, Hungary, IFCS Executive Secretary Judy Stober and the Secretariat for their constructive cooperation, and wished success for the new IFCS President and Forum Standing Committee members. IFCS President Zoltán Szabó thanked everyone for their hard work. He lamented lack of conclusions on lead and cadmium, but expressed hope that a solution could be found at the next meeting, stating he was optimistic about the future of the Forum. Sidy Gueye, Director of Cabinet, Ministry of the Environment, the Protection of Nature, Retention Basins and Artificial Lakes of Senegal, thanked participants and expressed hope that the Forum's recommendations would be implemented. He especially thanked the WHO for recalling "the very painful" events in Senegal related to lead poisoning by children and stressed the need for better international cooperation on chemicals management. He declared the meeting closed at 4:35 pm. 

Above photos L-R:
Judy Stober, IFCS Executive Secretary; IFCS President Zoltán Szabó and Sidy Gueye, Director of Cabinet, Ministry of the Environment, the Protection of Nature, Retention Basins and Artificial Lakes of Senegal.

Above photos: IFCS President Zoltán Szabó thanking the IFCS Secretariat and the Government of Senegal.

FACES FROM THE IFCS VI:

ENB writer Kunbao Xia (second from left) with Zang Wenchao, Liu Guozhi and Guo Xiaofeng, China. Delegates from Thailand. Participants from the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Delegates from Mali and Burkina Faso.

Funsu Kiluana, Angola Sonja Haider, Women in Europe for a Common Future Björn Erikson, International Trade Union Confederation Yolanda E. Oliveros, Philippines

Jean Claude Carré, Haiti Bernadette Hakizimana, Burundi Jerker Forssell, Sweden Jessica Schifano, Pablo Perenzin and Pauline Lynch-Keep, IFCS Secretariat 

SNAPSHOTS OF ENB READERS: 
Michael Wolters Fakaba Diakite and Oumar Cisse, Mali  Fu Lin Zong, China  Clifton Curtis

Hannah E. Clarendon, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Ndizeye Eliezer, Rwanda

ENB IFCS TEAM:
L-R: Anne Roemer-Mahler, Kati Kulovesi, Jessica Templeton, Leila Mead, Franz Dejon, Kunbao Xia, Resson Kantai

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Related Links

Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety website
Official website of the Government of Senegal for IFCS VI
Forum VI: Global Partnerships for Chemical Safety
World Health Organization (WHO)
UNEP Chemicals
UNEP - Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)
International Organization for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC)
International Programme on Chemical Safety
UNITAR Chemicals and Waste Management Programme
Stockholm Convention (POPs)
Rotterdam Convention (PIC)
Basel Convention

Links to IISD RS Resources

IISD RS coverage of the IFCS - V, 25-29 September 2006, Budapest, Hungary
IISD RS coverage of the IFCS - IV, 1-7 November 2003, Bangkok, Thailand
IISD RS coverage of the IFCS - III, 14-20 October 2000, Salvador, Brazil 
IISD RS coverage of the IFCS - II, 10-14 February 1997, Ottawa, Canada
IISD RS coverage of meetings on Chemicals Management 
Chemicals-L - A mailing list for news on biodiversity and wildlife policy
Linkages Update - Bi-weekly international environment and sustainable development news
MEA Bulletin - Newsletter on key MEAs and their secretariats
CLIMATE-L - News and information on the actions of international organizations in responding to the problem of global climate change
Linkages Africa - Fortnightly newsletter reporting on sustainable development events in Africa

 
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