Jean Marc RACINE Environmental Management Specialist OAS SAICM Focal Point

1. OAS & SAICM Cooperation for Sound Management of Chemicals (SMC) in the Americas Bridgetown, Barbados – March,10-13, 2009. Jean Marc RACINE Environmental Management Specialist OAS SAICM Focal Point Sound Management of Chemicals (SMC) Department of Sustainable Development (DSD).- Organization of American States (OAS).- E-mail: jmracine@oas.org

2. OAS Decision-Making Mechanisms OAS Main Decision-Making Mechanisms : • Summit of the Americas (OAS-SOA): every 2 and/or 4 years - made of Heads of States of the Americas – and set Mandates for the Hemisphere – • Includes Special Summits – such As Health and Environment Ministers of the Americas (HEMA) - held whenever an issue is judged pressing enough by the member states to require specific Positions/Mandates. • General Assembly (OAS-GA) : held once a year – made of Foreign Ministers of the Americas – and set member countries’ major policies and goals through resolutions; • Permanent Council : Ongoing decision-making mechanism – made of ambassadors appointed by the member states – carries out ongoing actions and targets emerging issues for consideration by GA and SOA.

3. OAS Mandates on SMC Emergence of SMC issues in the Americas (1994-1998): • 1st Summit of the Americas, Miami, USA - 1994 : Established Broad Mandates on human Health and Environmental Protectionfor the Americas - • Pan American Conference on Health and Environment in Human Development (PAN American Charter): Washington, DC October 1995. • A Follow-up of the First Summit of Americas (Miami, 1994) - Gathered for the first time the Health, Environment, and Development Ministers of the Americas ; and • Provided Mandates on Health and Environment for the Americas – which today are being re-formulated and carried out through the OAS SMC program.

4. OAS Mandates on SMC PAN American Charter : Washington, DC October 1995 The Health, Environment and Development Ministers acknowledged : “ [being]Aware of continuing man-made damage to human and natural resources - especially air, water and soil - that arise from non-sustaining economic policies and practices, increased urban concentrations, poorly managed technology applications, and inadequate social knowledge and behavior; and [Calling upon] governments and societies to implement the Declaration of Principles and Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), and the mandates emanating from the Ibero-American and Miami Summit of 1994 ” ; [then directed the Hemisphere to ] “ Protecting and promotingthe health of all persons, in an environment that supports their well being, should serve as the prime decision-making criterion in planning and managing socioeconomic development…” “Protecting humans from health hazards in their natural and man-made environments requires not only initial provisions and designed safeguards, but also continuing surveillance and the capacity to act against acute and chronic dangers…”

5. OAS Mandates on SMC SMC Mandates (1996 & 1998): • Special Summit of Americas on Sustainable Development , Santa Cruz, Bolivia,1996. • Specific Mandates on SMC and then identified Cross-cutting issues : Energy and Minerals, Water Resources and Coastal Areas, and Sustainable Agriculture and Forests. • 2nd Summit of the Americas, Santiago, Chili, April 1998. • Reaffirmed support to the Outcome of the Special Summit on Sustainable Development, and identified additional cross-cutting issues : Mandates on Health Technology, Sustainable Development, Free Trade; and • Called upon the OAS to“… Develop initiatives designed to reduce deficits in access to and quality of drinking water, basic sanitation and solid waste management, with special emphasis in rural and poor urban areas, by applying existing technologies or developing new, appropriate and effective low-cost technologies… ”

6. OAS Mandates on SMC The HEMA Declaration of Ottawa, 2002. • 3rd Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada 2001 • Called upon the Ministers of Health and Environment of the Americas to act for improving the health and environmental conditions of the countries of the region; • 1st Health and Environment Ministers of the Americas (HEMA) Forum, Ottawa, Canada, March 2002 : • Direct follow of the Pan American Charter of 1995 (Pre-HEMA Forum); • Direct follow-up of the 3rd Summit of the Americas HEMA mandate of 2001; and • Called for “Concerted actions [for] Sound Management of Chemicals ” with specific linkages to cross-cutting issues directly associated with Sustainable Development – which is acknowledged as being of primary importance should SMC be successfully implemented in the Americas;

7. OAS Mandates on SMC The HEMA Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005. • Special Summit of the Americas, Monterey Mexico, Jan 2004 • Reiterated the call made at the 3rd SOA - and mandated the HEMA Forum to develop a cooperative agenda for preventing and reducing environmental health impacts; • 2nd Health and Environment Ministers of the Americas (HEMA) Forum- Mar del Plata, Argentina, June 2005. • Follow-up of the Special SOA HEMA Mandates – Monterey, 2004, and the specific response to the HEMA declaration of Ottawa , 2002;

8. OAS Mandates on SMC The HEMA Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005. Specifically : • Called upon the OAS to promoting regional cooperation around priorities linked to environmental health related issues as translated into national initiatives, supported by the provision of appropriate tools and decision-making support resources, and the deepening integration of civil society organizations as framed in Agenda XXI - and • Committed to : “developing and implementing strategies to manage risks, reduce threats to ecosystems and to human health in our region from pesticides and other chemical substances, particularly with respect to vulnerable populations, including indigenous groups, industrial and agricultural workers, women and Children.” HEMA Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005.

9. OAS SMC Program Implementation OAS SMC Program Main Priorities • Achieving the goals of the HEMA declarations, as derived from the Organization’s SMC Mandates; and • Promoting Synergy in SMC actions at the regional level - through: • Ensuring that OAS led SMC interventions are in line with existing conventions and mechanisms to which OAS member States have already adhered; and • Supporting comprehensive cooperation/partnership mechanisms capable of advancing the OAS SMC program for the benefits of our member States.

10. OAS & SAICM Cooperation for SMC Global SMC Conventions and Mechanisms : • SMC Related MEAs: OAS supports all SMC related MEAs to which OAS member states – at varied level – have adhered (signed and/or ratified); • SMC Umbrella Policy Framework: SAICM - the Umbrella Policy framework addressing the global dimension of SMC and promoting cooperation mechanisms through its Global Action Plan (GAP) and Overarching Policy Strategy (OPS) – is directly in line with the prerogatives of the OAS Summits’ Mandates and HEMA declarations on SMC.

11. OAS & SAICM Cooperation for SMC OAS SMC Implementation Strategy : • Operationalizing OAS SMC Mandates and associated HEMA declarations through the SAICM Overarching Policy framework (OPS) and implementation Mechanisms – therein lie the Fundamentals of the OAS & SAICM cooperation for SMC in the Americas. • Rational : Such an Approach meets all the priorities set forth by the OAS SMC Mandates and HEMA’s declarations, while facilitating synergy (Results Management, e.g.) with the Umbrella Strategy (SAICM) and its related MEAs.

12. OAS & SAICM Cooperation for SMC The Cooperation’s Main Outputs to Date : • Co-organized with SAICM Secretariat the First meeting of the SAICM LAC Region, Panama City, Panama, Feb14-16, 2008 – establishing the SAICM LAC Regional Coordination Committee (RCC); • Sponsored the organization of the First Meeting of the SAICM LAC Regional Coordination Committee, Port-of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, June 11-13, 2008 (SAICM RCC LAC); • Supported the Elaboration of the Regional Action Plan (RAP) for the LAC Region;

13. OAS & SAICM Cooperation for SMC OAS SMC Program : The Way Forward. • Supporting OAS Member States in meeting the prerogatives of the SOAs and SSOAs Mandates on SMC and associated HEMA declarations; and • Facilitating the implementation of the SAICM Framework and Mechanisms, and related MEAs in the Americas;

14. Thank You !!!