Summary
On Tuesday, the second meeting of the Intersessional Process for Considering the Strategic Approach and the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste Beyond 2020 opened in Stockholm, Sweden. Participants were welcomed by Jacob Duer, Chief, Chemicals and Health Branch, UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
In the opening session Karolina Skog, Environment Minister, Sweden, called for setting a post-2020 chemicals and waste management vision that is both aspirational and inspirational, and suggested a global deal for chemicals, perhaps based on the model of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The Fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management President Gertrud Sahler, (Germany) said that post-2020 SAICM should remain multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder, but perhaps with both voluntary and legally-binding elements.
Consultant Robert Nurick outlined key points from his draft independent evaluation of SAICM. Participants posed questions and offered comments about possible enhancements of the evaluation.
In the afternoon the plenary started work on the primary focus of the meeting, elaborating the elements of a possible post-2020 regime for chemicals and waste. The Co-Chairs of the intersessional process, David Morin (Canada) and Leticia Reis Carvalho (Brazil), outlined the process followed since the first meeting of the intersessional process held in Brasilia, Brazil, in February 2017, and the contents of their “Co-Chairs' Overview Paper” outlining considerations for the deliberations on possible elements of a post-2020 regime. The Secretariat introduced the set of background documents prepared for this discussion requested by participants at the Brasilia meeting.
Regional groupings, sectoral representatives, and representatives of individual organizations and governments explained their submissions on the Co-Chairs Overview Paper. The participants then made initial statements of views on possible post-2020 regime elements, divided into two clusters: the "what" of a post-2020 regime, including the vision, principles and measurable objectives and milestones; and the "how," including implementation arrangements, governance and high-level political commitment and visibility.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily digital coverage and a summary and analysis report from the 2nd Meeting of the Intersessional Process for Considering the Strategic Approach and the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste Beyond 2020. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
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Opening and Morning Session
View of the panel during the opening session
Karolina Skog, Minister for the Environment, Sweden
Jacob Duer, Chief, Chemicals and Health Branch, UNEP
Ligia Noronha, UNEP
Gertrud Sahler, President, Fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5)
Delegates applaud the opening speakers
Leticia Reis Carvalho, Brazil, and David Morin, Canada, Co-Chairs of the Intersessional Process
Robert Nurick, Consultant, presenting preliminary results of the independent evaluation
Jorge Ocaña, UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Ram Bharosey Lal, India
Meriel Watts, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Asia-Pacific
Heidar Ali Balouji, Iran
Baogen Gu, Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO)
Sofia Tingstorp, Sweden
Laura Nazef, US
Oludayo O. Dada, Africa Institute
Afternoon Session
Jacob Duer, Chief, Chemicals and Health Branch, UNEP; Co-Chairs Leticia Reis Carvalho, Brazil, and David Morin, Canada; and Brenda Koekkoek, SAICM Secretariat
David Kapindula, Zambia, speaking on behalf of the African Group
María Florencia Grimalt, Argentina
Suzanne Leppinen, Canada
Olga Speranskaya, International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN)
Vladimir Lenev, Russian Federation, speaking on behalf of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)
Melissa Mengjiao Wang, Greenpeace
Zhanyun Wang, International Panel on Chemical Pollution (IPCP)
Ivan Angelov, EU
Carolyn Vickers, World Health Organization (WHO)
Servet Gören, International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA)
Around the Venue
Delegates meet informally
Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan, speaks with Moustafa Kamel Ahmed, Director, Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Arab States
Delegates meet between sessions
Delegates from Thailand
Delegates from Mexico and India embrace the snow
