Meeting of Arab Countries on SAICM1-2 April 2007, Cairo, Egypt

UNITAR Training Methodologies of Relevance to SAICM Enabling Activities

Brandon Turner, FellowProgrammes in Chemicals, Waste and Environmental Governance

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Overview of presentation

Outline of key UNITAR activities and guidance materials

Thematic workshop on governance, civil society participation, and strengthening partnerships for chemicals and waste management and SAICM implementation

National Profiles

National SAICM Capacity Assessments

National SAICM Pilot Projects

15-Country QSPTF projects

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UNITAR: Assisting countries with SAICM enabling activities

UNITAR provides a variety of services to assist with capacity development related to SAICM enabling activities (see questionnaire)

Experiences gained in over 10 years of working with countries to develop integrated approaches/programmes to strengthen chemicals and waste management at national level

Activities take place in coordination and with formal participation of IOMC Participating Organizations and observers; SBC, OPCW, and the SAICM Secretariat

A series of guidance and training materials used in over 100 countries currently being updated, and new materials developed in light of SAICM outcomes

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Key UNITAR-assisted activities related to SAICM enabling activities and selected guidance and training materials

National Chemicals Management Profiles Being revised

National SAICM Capacity Assessment Draft

Priority Setting Guidance Being revised

Developing and Sustaining an Integrated National Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste

Being revised

Action Plan Development (generic)

Partnership Guidance

Development/strengthening of national coordination platforms

Strengthening information exchange (in cooperation with UNEP)

Initiating enabling activities for SAICM implementation

Some important objective of SAICM: to build upon existing chemicals management initiatives in various

sectors strengthen coordination and coherence among various government

and stakeholder initiatives link activities to national development planning

SAICM enabling phase may include: National Profile preparation (ICCM Resolution I/4(c)) National SAICM implementation plan development (OPS para 22),

with full stakeholder participation Capacity Assessment and Priority Setting (ICCM Resolution I/4(c)) Individual action plans on substantive topics of chemicals

management – Partnerships between stakeholders are encouraged Development of Integrated National Programmes

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www.unitar.org/cwg/tw

Thematic workshop

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Thematic workshop outcomes

Developed understanding of challenges and opportunities for SAICM implementation at the national level

Explored options for developing sound governance structures for SAICM implementation

Discussed challenges and opportunities for involving civil society and private sector in national SAICM implementation

Developed understanding on elements of partnerships for sound chemicals management

Provided input to national SAICM pilot projects

www.unitar.org/cwg/tw

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National Chemicals Management Profiles

www.unitar.org/cwg/np

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National Chemicals Management Profiles

Overview of national legal, institutional, administrative, and technical infrastructure for national chemicals management

Assists in identification of infrastructure-related strengths, weaknesses, and gaps, as well as priority needs for national action and external technical assistance

Baseline against which progress may be judged in meeting specific national or international targets (e.g. SAICM)

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National Chemicals Management Profiles

Over 100 countries have prepared National Profile or are in process of preparing

Used as starting point for Stockholm Convention NIPs in over 50 countries

Guidance currently being updated in light of SAICM outcomes

National Profile Hompage

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SAICM and National Chemicals Management Profiles

QSP Strategic Priority:

“development or updating of national chemical profile…”

ICCM Global Plan of Action emphasizes efforts such as:

“assessment of national chemicals management to identify gaps and prioritize actions” (activity 207)

identifying “priority gaps in chemicals management regimes and practices” (activity 121)

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National Chemicals Management Profiles worldwide

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National SAICM Capacity Assessment

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Purpose of a National SAICM Capacity Assessment

Catalyzes collaboration between government and stakeholders towards understanding and identifying priority needs

Builds on National Profile and other sources (e.g. NIP)

Facilitates identifying priority actions for SAICM implementation

Highlights possible areas for partnership projects between stakeholders

Sets the stage for preparation of a SAICM Implementation Plan which may be linked to an integrated national programme for sound chemicals management

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Main components of the SAICM Capacity Assessment

1. Assessment of national governance framework

2. Assessment of capacities for selected chemicals issues and priorities

Based on three SAICM documents and elements for national capacity requirements of Programme Area E of Chapter 19, Agenda 21

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Government

MajorStakeholder

Group(e.g. Environmental

NGOs)

Major Stakeholder

Group(e.g. Business and Industry)

StakeholderAction

National SAICMCapacity Assessment

• Governance Framework• Chemicals Management

Issues and Priorities

StakeholderAction

NationalProgram Development

& Identification ofPartnership Projects

GovernmentAction

Proposed approach for development of a SAICM Capacity Assessment

1. Assessment of the governance framework

Development of a governance framework for SAICM implementation received significant attention at ICCM

An assessment of governance issues can assist in ensuring high-level support to implement SAICM and provide a basis for developing a coordinated national programme for SAICM implementation

Based on capacity elements of Dubai Declaration and OPS

Completion of a set of worksheets (Annex 1)

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Proposed areas for the governance assessment

Integrating chemicals management into national development priorities

Sound institutional and programmatic national framework

Effective project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation

Legislation and enforcement

Participation of the private sector and civil society in chemicals management

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Sample worksheet for the governance assessment

A.2 A Sound Institutional and Programmatic National Framework

Category

(and related GPA activities)

Level of existing

capacities:High /

Medium / Low

Summary of strengths &

gaps

Possible action

Priority for taking

action:High /

Medium / Low

2.1 Establishing an Inter-ministerial Coordination Mechanism

(56, 166, 195, 197, 252)

Medium Coordinating mechanism in place but not formalised Ministries of health and finance not participating

Develop a ministerial decree Letter from existing chair to Ministries of Health and Finance

High

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2. Assessment of capacities for important chemical management issues

SAICM refers to a large number of specific work areas and chemicals management topics

Based on capacity elements of SAICM GPA activities and Programme Area E of Chapter 19

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Proposed areas for the chemicals management assessment

Information generation and dissemination

Risk Reduction

Education and awareness raising

Accident prevention and control

Analytical and laboratory capacity

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Proposed steps for the chemicals management assessment

Step 1: (screening) Identifying important and urgent chemicals management issues

Step 2: Conducting in-depth capacity assessment for important and urgent chemicals management issues Capacity gaps, possible action, concerned actors, urgency and

importance

Step 3: Identifying: possible national priorities stakeholder group actions identifying opportunities for partnership projects

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Proposed structure of the capacity assessment

1. Executive Summary

2. Summary Assessment: National Governance Structure

3. Summary Assessment: Chemicals Management Issues and Priorities

4. Opportunities for Partnership Projects

5. Annexes: Completed worksheets

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National SAICM Pilot Projects

Develop an Integrated National Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste

Focus on governance, stakeholder participation, and partnerships to support national SAICM implementation

Addresses: priority setting, concrete action (including partnership projects), and mainstreaming

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National SAICM Pilot Projects

3 developing countries and 1 country in economic transition: Belarus, Panama, Pakistan, and Tanzania

Project countries selected by UNITAR/IOMC Project Task Force (June 2006)

Country projects will take place over a period of 3 years (2006-2009)

Funded by Government of Switzerland (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN)) as a contribution to the QSP

National Forum on Governance and Priority Setting for

SAICM Implementation

Agreed Governance Structure

Partnership Project 1

Partnership Project 2

National Review

Workshop

Inter-ministerial Coordination

Stakeholder Involvement

Industry

Government

NGOs

Capacity Assessment for SAICM

Implementation

National Development Planning Process

National Chemicals Profile and

Other Relevant Materials

(ongoing feedback and integration of chemicals and waste management)

National SAICM Pilot Projects: Key Milestones

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15-country projects on National Profile Updating, Capacity Assessment, and Priority Setting

2-year projects

QSP TF-supported

Expect commencement in second-quarter 2007

Armenia, Burkina Faso, Chile, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Haiti, Georgia, Madagascar, Mongolia, Rwanda, São Tomé & Principe, Serbia, and Syria

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15-country projects on National Profile Updating, Capacity Assessment, and Priority Setting

All countries have National Profiles

to be updated in light of SAICM outcomes (minor focus of project)

National SAICM Capacity Assessment developed

National SAICM Priority Setting Workshop will take into account above products

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Conclusions

UNITAR stands ready to assist further countries with SAICM enabling activities and implementation of “substantive” areas

Work is ongoing with support through broader QSP and also QSP TF

Demand FAR exceeds supply – over 50 formal requests for assistance on record

Working with some 25 countries for QSP TF Round II

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For more information

www.unitar.org/cwg/saicm