Transcript Title of the presentation

GHS: International Chemicals
Management, Sustainable
Development and Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs)
Peter J. Peterson
UNITAR
GHS Stocktaking Workshop For Southeast, East and Central Asia
15-17 September 2010
Beijing, People’s Republic of China
GHS and Chemicals Management
• Chemicals play a major role in modern society
involving all sectors of national development;
• The hazardous characteristics of chemicals may
give rise to local, regional or global
environmental effects and impact on human
health in the short-term and the long-term;
• GHS can serve as a tool to help to establish:
¤ A national integrated chemicals management
scheme
¤ A standard for chemical hazard classification
¤ A foundation to endorse international
agreements
¤ A benchmark for achieving SD and MDGs
2
GHS and Global Strategies: Road Map
• GHS involves classification of hazard,
communicating hazard information; e.g.
pictograms, labels and SDS;
• Origin of GHS lies in Agenda 21 Chapter 19, B
• UNSCEGHS created by ECOSOC 1999, Endorsed
2003;
• Bahia Declaration, (2000), Section V refers GHS;
•WSSD, (2002) and WSSD Global Partnership for
Capacity-building for GHS, UNITAR, ILO, and
OECD ;
• SAICM, (2006), Overarching Policy Strategy
(B.15.h);
• ICCM-2, (2009), Knowledge and Information.
3
GHS and Regional Strategies: Road Map
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
¤ GHS Conference for ASEAN: Implementation
towards 2008 and beyond, Indonesia, (2007); a
component of the UNITAR/ILO Global Capacitybuilding to Implement the GHS, for countries in all
geographic regions;
¤ ASEAN-Occupational Safety and Health
Network, (2000) (ASEAN-OSHNET); and draft ASEAN
Guidelines on Chemical Classification, Labelling and
SDS, (2006);
• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC): Chemicals
Dialogue, commenced (1990); a forum for regulatory
officials and industry;
4
GHS and the Lifecycle of Chemicals
• GHS important for chemicals throughout their
Lifecycle; e.g. Agenda 21 Chapter 19, and Dubai
Declarations, 16 and 21, and SAICM Overarching
Policy Strategy;
¤ Production: intended and unintended; implications
for all chemical international agreements,
¤ Trade: Rotterdam Convention; UNEP Code of Ethics
¤ Use: Implications for all chemicals-related
Multilateral Environmental Agreements; also WHO
Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard; FAO
Code; etc.
¤ Disposal/recycling: Basel, Stockholm, Vienna and
Chemicals Weapons Conventions.
GHS and ‘Mainstreaming’
What is ‘Mainstreaming?
•‘Mainstreaming’ is a policy principle; it
represents the systematic integration of sound
chemicals management into core national
development strategies and planning processes,
resulting in:
¤ Inclusion of chemicals in local and sector
strategies;
¤ Attainment of MDGs, especially poverty
reduction, and advancement of national
development policies;
¤ Increased long-term access to national and
international financial and human resources.
6
GHS and ‘Mainstreaming’
• Chemicals management should be integrated into
the national infrastructure, including
development policies and priorities, to maximize
benefits, minimize hazards and to ensure policy
coherence;
• As chemicals are involved in cross-cutting issues
all stakeholders should be involved in
‘mainstreaming’;
• Chemicals therefore, can be seen to provide a
major contribution towards environmental
sustainability, national economic development
and human health;
• Preparation of National Profile represents 1st step.
7
‘Mainstreaming’: The Benefits
• Raised awareness of chemicals and enhanced
buy-in from government and key stakeholders
including economic and development planning
agencies;
• Strengthened focus on improved cross-sectoral
governance for sound chemicals management at
national and local levels;
• Increased access to both national opportunities,
plans, resources and international donor support;
Improved abilities for attainment of priority
issues.
8
‘Mainstreaming’ and MDGs
• The MDGs adopted by world leaders at the
Millennium
Summit
(2000)
commit
the
international community to an expanded vision of
development, one that:
¤ Vigorously promotes human development as
the key to sustaining social and economic
progress in all countries;
¤ Recognizes the importance of creating a global
partnership for development;
¤ Provides the guiding principles for overall
strategic action at the international level.
9
Linkages between MDGs and
chemicals issues
10
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• The poor are at a higher risk of exposure to
hazardous chemicals due to their occupations,
living locations, are often illiterate and cannot read
labels;
• Sound chemicals management can improve the
living environment of the poor, and consequently
their health, help increase their revenue through
safe and effective pesticide use to boost crop
yields, and protect the productivity of freshwater
fisheries.
Linkages between MDGs and
chemicals issues
11
Achieve universal primary education
• Knowledge of science at primary level will lay the
foundation for secondary and tertiary levels and
help the young understand chemical labels on
household products, and hazard statements and
safety data sheets in the workplace;
• Children are particularly sensitive to adverse
effects from exposure to chemicals, so awarenessraising of chemical safety issues, especially in rural
areas, can reduce the occurrence of chemicalrelated effects.
Linkages between MDGs and
chemicals issues
12
Promote gender equality and empower
women
• Women’s empowerment and knowledge of proper
use of pesticides in crop fields and other chemicals
within the home can help protect themselves and
their families as they are exposed via many
routes;
• Women being the primary carers, food producers
and preparers, and gatherers of household fuel,
are disproportionately affected by indoor air
pollution, chemical contaminants and water/foodborne illness.
Linkages between MDGs and
chemicals issues
13
Reduce child mortality
• Chemicals such as pharmaceuticals, play a major
role in combating vector borne diseases such as
malaria;
• Children may be exposed to chemicals through
agricultural work, through improper labelling and
storage in the home. Sound chemicals
management, including hazard awareness,
combined with better nutrition, can improve
children’s learning and living conditions, thus
decreasing their sensitivity to chemicals leading to
reduced child mortality.
Linkages between MDGs and
chemicals issues
14
Improve maternal health
• Some chemicals through different exposure routes
can build up to hazardous levels in humans
causing adverse reproductive, developmental,
immunological, hormonal, & carcinogenic effects;
• Women can transfer as much as 1/5 of their toxic
burden directly and/or indirectly to their infants;
• Improved chemicals management can safeguard
women’s health by lowering their risk of
contamination and therefore improve the health of
future generations.
Linkages between MDGs and
chemicals issues
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria & other
diseases
• Insecticides, repellents and other malarial
prophylactics can prevent millions of deaths world
wide from vector-borne diseases. However,
improper use of these chemicals, lack of hazard
awareness & lack of monitoring chemical use can
cause adverse health and environmental effects;
• Chemicals as medications can help to control
HIV/AIDS and prevent mother-to-child
transmission.
15
Linkages between MDGs and
chemicals issues
Ensure environmental sustainability
• Some chemicals can contribute to ozone
depletion, climate change and also be major
contributors to contamination of air, water and
soil leading to environmental degradation. A
contaminated environment drives up health care
costs;
• Sound chemicals management can help prevent,
and/or minimize harmful chemicals from entering
the environment and reduces the need for
difficult and costly remediation.
16
Linkages between MDGs and
chemicals issues
G
global partnership for development
• International cooperation and coordination
efforts towards improved chemicals management
such as SAICM and chemicals-related multilateral
environmental agreements create global
partnerships, efforts, and initiatives that assist
countries in integrating sound chemicals
management objectives into national and local
development plans;
• The WSSD Global Partnership for Capacitybuilding for GHS provides assistance to countries
in all regions.
17
GHS and Sustainable Development
• The UN MDGs Task Force emphasized the process
of integrating principles of Sustainable
Development into all policies, e.g. MDG Goal 7.
• Recommendation 5 of MDG Goal 7 refers to:
‘reduce exposure to toxic chemicals/vulnerable
groups i.e. women, children, the poor; and
improved frameworks for chemicals
management’; GHS is a valuable tool to help
achieve this goal;
• Recommendation 9 refers to ‘public awareness
campaigns’. GHS education contributes to
this goal.
18
GHS and Chemicals Management: Conclusions
• GHS hazard classification system, communication and
educational component, pictograms and precautionary
statements are major drivers of chemical safety;
• GHS within an integrated chemical programme can
lead to more effective national and global governance
of chemicals throughout their lifecycles;
• GHS in coordination with international chemicals
agreements provides an essential component of
procedures for achieving sustainable development;
• With chemicals involved in all cross-cutting issues,
they should be integrated into national infrastructures
thus helping nations and all countries to achieve their
MDGs.
19
Thank you!
[email protected]