1 / 34

Dr. Thomas Conway Resource Futures International

Towards the Implementation of SAICM in the Americas: Proposed Process and Structure for Development of the SAICM LAC RAP/Strategy. Dr. Thomas Conway Resource Futures International. 1945 Fairbanks Ave. Ottawa, Canada K1H 5Y2 Tel: (1)-613-235-4343 Ext #1 Fax: (1)-613-235-9916

eatkinson
Download Presentation

Dr. Thomas Conway Resource Futures International

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Towards the Implementation of SAICM in the Americas: Proposed Process and Structure for Development of the SAICM LAC RAP/Strategy

  2. Dr. Thomas ConwayResource Futures International 1945 Fairbanks Ave. Ottawa, Canada K1H 5Y2 Tel: (1)-613-235-4343 Ext #1 Fax: (1)-613-235-9916 Mobile: (1)-613-878-4418 TConway@rfigroup.com www.rfigroup.com

  3. Fundamental RAP Building Assumptions • Regional initiatives must be country driven to succeed • They should be initiated at the highest political levels possible • They will require ongoing administrative support with centralized facilitation to succeed. To this effect, an ongoing coordinator should be designated • Domestic contacts that could contribute to a regional effort need to be identified. These should be at the level of senior civil servants who are as independent of political changes as possible • A communication network should be established that would serve as a centralized location for ongoing contact, dialogue and exchanges of information (perhaps also as a clearinghouse repository). This network would feed into a regional communication process that could also be accessed domestically

  4. Part 1: The Mandate for a LAC RAP

  5. Record of Decisions • The first SAICM Regional meeting held in Panama City, Panama from February 14-16, 2008 established the Terms of Reference for a SAICM Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC) for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) • The first meeting of the Regional Coordination Committee (RCC) for SAICM LAC was held in Port of Spain -Trinidad and Tobago from June 11-13, 2008 • The Port of Spain meeting was held under the sponsorship and coordination of the Organization of American States’ Department of Sustainable Development (OAS/DSD)

  6. Record of Decisions • Meeting stressed the role of the Committee regarding… • “…to facilitate preparations for the development of a regional action plan, as necessary, and to follow up on its establishment and implementation”. • The meeting also stressed the need for a 5 year minimum timeframe for achieving preliminary results under the proposed SAICM LAC RAP

  7. Composition of the RCC • i. The regional focal point • ii. Regional representatives on the Quick Start Programme Executive Board • iii. One [Two] SAICM national focal point[s] from each of the Latin American and Caribbean sub-regions • iv. One representative from a non-governmental organization in each of the following four sectors: industry, trade union, public interest and science • v. One representative of a key regional organization (for example, one that has region-wide responsibilities relevant to the sound management of chemicals) on a rotational basis • vi. One representative from a participating organization of the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals with a significant regional chemical safety program • vii. The immediate past SAICM regional focal point

  8. Role of the RCC The role of the regional coordinating committee is to support the regional focal point in the execution of his/her duties as well as to fulfill the following responsibilities: • i. To assist the regional focal point and regional representatives on the Quick Start Programme Executive Board in follow-up efforts through inter-session consultations • ii. To encourage Latin American and Caribbean advocacy for the creation of a new GEF focal area for chemicals management • iii. To consider the SAICM Global Plan of Action from time to time, and identify new issues for their possible inclusion • iv. To assist the regional focal point in preparing, as appropriate, draft regional position papers for submission to the region, ministerial conferences and the International Conference on Chemicals Management

  9. Role of the RCC • v. To serve as conduits for the views of sub-regions on SAICM implementation • vi. To facilitate reporting on SAICM implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean and on the provision of resources to support such implementation • vii. To facilitate preparations for the development of a regional action plan, as necessary, and to follow up on its establishment and implementation

  10. OAS DSD Regional Fact Finding • The Sound Management of Chemicals in the Caribbean Castries, Saint Lucia October 29-31, 2007 • Tended to highlight Obsolete Pesticide Stockpiles (POPs) but also other issues • Legal Assessment Report on PTS as applied to Chili (case study for South America); • Legal Assessment report on PTS as applied to Nicaragua (case study for Central America); • Cumulative Report on Central and South America (Chili and Nicaragua) • Tended to highlight: (1) Policy and Capacity building for Chemicals Notification and Registration Systems – GHS and REACH - (2) Trans-boundary  Illicit chemical prevention mechanisms

  11. Regional Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the CaribbeanTrinidad and Tobago, 11-13 June 2008 This meeting highlighted the following major content issues: • Illegal traffic • Global Harmonized System (GHS) • Alternatives for the progressive elimination of highly toxic pesticides • Highly vulnerable and at risk groups • Risk reduction (Persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic chemicals)

  12. Cross-cutting Issues The meeting also highlighted the following cross-cutting issues: • To extend and strengthen, at different levels, the multi-sectoral participation, including civil society, for the implementation of the SAICM, taking into account the possibility of establishing alliances • Mobilization of resources for the implementation of the SAICM • Information exchange, capacity building, education and sensitizing • Creation and/or strengthening of national and regional capacities (technical, institutional, educational, etc.) • Development and implementation of National Plans

  13. Part 2:Possible Structure and Content of a SAICM LAC RAP Pre-Consultation Concepts Only

  14. Structure of the Draft RAP • 1.0Introduction • 1.1Purpose • 1.2The sound management of chemicals in brief • 1.3Context for this SAICM LAC RAP • 2.0 Vision Statement • 3.0Phase 1 SAICM RAP Priorities in the LAC Region • 3.1Overview • 3.2Our Phase 1 RAP Priority Areas • 3.3Rationale • 4.0Priority Activity Areas • 4.1Structure of Activity Area Descriptions • 4.2Activity Area Descriptions • A.Risk Reduction • B.Knowledge and Information • C.Governance • D.Capacity Building and Technical Cooperation • E.Illegal International Traffic

  15. Structure of the Draft RAP • 5.0Financial Considerations • 6.0Scheduling (Subject to extensive consultation) • 7.0Taking Stock of Progress • Annex 1: Latin America and the Caribbean Countries

  16. Possible Vision Statement (partial extract) • SAICM LAC is committed to working towards implementation of the WSSD goal of sound chemicals management by 2020 consistent with SAICM’s voluntary framework. While the LAC region acknowledges that RAPs developed under SAICM are not legally binding upon any one or all of the participating countries, there is a national commitment by a representative number of our countries and an equally determined resolve by regional leaders in this important environmental initiative to work diligently through this RAP to advance significant improvements for the sound management of chemicals in the region…

  17. Possible Statement of Major Priority Area for First Five Years • The SAICM LAC region will prioritize its activities in this Phase 1 RAP on further protecting our populations and environments from substances that are known to be persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBTs), and hazardous chemical wastes. To achieve this, an emphasis will be placed upon: • Strengthening information and knowledge resources about PBTs in our jurisdictions consistent with and in addition to what is required by the Stockholm Convention, and hazardous wastes consistent with the Basel Convention; • Identifying and improving upon governance gaps with respect to the control of PBTs and hazardous chemical wastes in our jurisdictions; and • Identifying and developing approaches to address infrastructural gaps within our jurisdictions as applicable to managing PBTs and hazardous chemical wastes…

  18. Proposed Major Activity Areas

  19. Major Activity Areas

  20. Cross-Cutting Issues

  21. Part 3:Proposed Consultation and Support Processes

  22. Proposed Consultation Process • Discuss the concept at Caribbean regional meeting, Barbados • Share with the Regional Coordination Committee (RCC) for SAICM LAC for their input into the paper’s contents and the proposed RAP consultation process • Revise based on comments received from the RCC • Distribute to SAICM LAC countries for comment through various consultation venues • Use one or more regional (or sub-regional) workshops to finalize the SAICM LAC RAP (depending on available funding) and to receive formal country support in the region • LAC RAP is the subject of input to international SAICM processes and to the Health and Environment Ministers processes in the region for formal high-level buy-in

  23. Country Ownership and the Support of Development Partners • The consultation paper for the SAICM LAC RAP follows the principle of country driven programming. It has been designed specifically for consultation with SAICM LAC countries about their regional SAICM implementation priorities • That said, international agencies working in the area of the sound management of chemicals have programmes in place to support countries in SAICM implementation • It is also important to note that donor agencies (bilateral and multilateral) make extensive use of formally approved planning documents as a way to target their support to countries • For this reason, it is in the interest of countries to be clear about their regional SAICM implementation priorities at a senior level, such as in the case of a SAICM LAC RAP

  24. OAS/DSD Support Objectives • The OAS/DSD, with some preliminary foresight on possible contents for a SAICM LAC RAP, held an SMC inter-agency coordination meeting on Dec 3rd, 2008 at the OAS headquarters in Washington, DC • Meeting aimed at: (1) identifying the scope and nature of SAICM and SMC related activities being carried out by partner agencies; and (2) reaching consensus on the most appropriate role and level of involvement for the OAS, that are consistent with the organization’s SMC related mandates and with the SAICM’s goals and mechanisms • Informative presentations by representatives of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the World Bank (WB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Resource Future Internationals (RFI) – on behalf of the OAS/DSD - and subsequent discussions

  25. OAS/DSD Support Objectives The meeting broadly concluded that OAS was uniquely positioned to support possible SAICM LAC RAP implementation and related SMC activities with respect to: • Supporting national policy development and implementation mechanisms pertaining to SAICM, by virtue of: • its hemispheric reach; • well established mechanisms for policy dialogue among development partners at the national, regional and hemispheric levels, notably among, Governments, businesses and with civil society; and • the integrated nature of its diverse operations which offer opportunities for functional linkages in SAICM-related areas, such as health, environment, risk management, and public security, all of which are acknowledged as necessary for achieving the regional coordination mechanisms needed for the effective implementation of SAICM

  26. OAS/DSD Support Objectives • Promoting the integration and involvement of the private sector/chemical industry and civil societies in the SMC process through establishing agreed-upon cooperation mechanisms for addressing the life-cycle management of chemicals • Assisting the countries in regional information gathering and sharing

  27. Part 4: Key Questions of Process and Authority for the Workshop to Consider

  28. Key Questions of Process and Authority Authoritative Agreement on RAP Priorities and Targets Mobilizing Resources Coordination and Facilitation Bottom Up Buy-In • Through the Regional Coordinating Committee? Or what? • What/who performs the Secretariat Function for the RCC? • What process will be used? • How do you know when you have a critical mass of LAC countries on board? • Who agrees to the RAP and at what authoritative level? • Is it HEMA? • Something else? • Is this done at the national level only? • Programmatically at the regional level? • Both? • How?

  29. Coordination and Facilitation And other players… Who keeps this all together and moving as a RAP to assist countries in the region to achieve the 2020 Goal for SMC?

  30. A Secretariat Function? • The RCC ToRs are basically silent on these issues • Is there an intention to have a stable Secretariat function for the RCC and for SAICM LAC RAP facilitation and oversight? • Does it matter? • I would suggest it matters a great deal…without it, the RAP will likely be a paper exercise only • What is the solution? • This will be something for the RCC to propose and present to countries in the region • Before hesitating about that required effort, can you name one RAP in the area of the environment that has been adequately followed-up on without this function? • I would suggest you will be searching for a long time

  31. Bottom-up Buy-in How is this process going to work? How will you know when you have adequate buy-in? Is there a threshold number of countries we want to sign-on? By sub-region? How do they formally buy-in? I would suggest that these issues must be clearly thought through to have a chance at success

  32. Hierarchy of Authoritative Agreement on RAP Priorities and Targets Is it HEMA? What is the timing? Etc… Increasing difficulty and importance As noted earlier, how does that happen? SAICM LAC RAP Draft Only

  33. Mobilizing Resources: What is the RAP Bringing to the Table SAICM priorities are achieved when country buy-in and commitment (including national budgetary commitment) is partnered with technical and financial assistance Technical capacity is where interagency cooperation and coordination will be key to assist countries with implementation activities Financial capacity looms large in the gears of a RAP • Are we seeking: • New national budgetary commitments • Bilateral donors • GEF Window • All? What?

  34. Thank you

More Related