Meeting of Arab Countries on SAICM 1-2 April 2007, Cairo, Egypt

1. Meeting of Arab Countries on SAICM1-2 April 2007, Cairo, Egypt UNITAR Training Methodologies of Relevance to SAICM Enabling Activities Brandon Turner, Fellow Programmes in Chemicals, Waste and Environmental Governance

2. 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

3. 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

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

5. 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

6. Thematic workshop www.unitar.org/cwg/tw

7. 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

8. National Chemicals Management Profiles www.unitar.org/cwg/np

9. 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)

10. 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

11. SAICM and National Chemicals Management Profiles • QSP Strategic Priority: • “development or updating of national chemical profile…” • ICCMGlobal 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)

12. National Chemicals Management Profiles worldwide

13. National SAICM Capacity Assessment www.unitar.org/cwg/saicm

14. Purpose of a National SAICM Capacity Assessment • Catalyzescollaboration 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

15. 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

16. Proposed approach for development of a SAICM Capacity Assessment Major Stakeholder Group (e.g. Business and Industry) Stakeholder Action • National SAICM • Capacity Assessment • Governance Framework • Chemicals Management • Issues and Priorities National Program Development & Identification of Partnership Projects Government Government Action Major Stakeholder Group (e.g. Environmental NGOs) Stakeholder Action

17. 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)

18. 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

19. Sample worksheet for the governance assessment

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. Proposed structure of the capacity assessment • Executive Summary • Summary Assessment: National Governance Structure • Summary Assessment: Chemicals Management Issues and Priorities • Opportunities for Partnership Projects • Annexes: Completed worksheets

24. 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

25. 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

26. National SAICM Pilot Projects: Key Milestones Partnership Industry National Forum on National Chemicals Profile and Other Relevant Materials Project 1 Capacity Assessment for SAICM Implementation National Governance and Government Review Priority Setting for Workshop SAICM Partnership NGOs Implementation Project 2 Agreed Governance Structure Inter - ministerial Stakeholder Coordination Involvement (ongoing feedback and integration of chemicals and waste management) National Development Planning Process

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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

30. For more information www.unitar.org/cwg/saicm