Chemicals and waste are integral to almost all sectors of society, and their sound management is essential for protecting human and environmental health.
Adopted by the First International Conference on Chemicals Management in 2006, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) is a policy framework to promote chemical safety around the world. The objective is to achieve the sound management of chemicals throughout their lifecycle so that chemicals are produced and used in ways that minimize significant adverse impacts on the environment and human health.
SAICM established four communities of practice (CoPs) in 2020 – Highly Hazardous Pesticides, Chemicals in Products, Lead in Paint, and Chemicals and the Sustainable Development Goals –which have been successful in achieving its goal of creating and harnessing a platform for exchange of knowledge and information and for hosting multi-stakeholder discussions. While the activities of these communities ended in 2022, the SAICM Secretariat decided to continue with one all-encompassing community of practice on chemicals and waste management.
The Chemicals and Waste CoP will host several discussions in 2023 on issues of concern, chemicals of concern across diverse supply chains, capacity building and other relevant topics. The community will consist of practitioners working on chemicals and waste management, including representatives from academia, governments, industry, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and consumers.
The purpose of this CoP is to establish an effective global network of experts on SAICM with a space for information sharing and long-term engagement. It will offer an opportunity to learn about latest research and developments, see what representatives from different sectors are doing under the scope of chemicals and waste management, and provide access to expertise on various topics related to SAICM.
How can you join the conversation and contribute?
- Sign up to join discussions across all communities.
- Join the Chemicals and Waste Management Community of Practice (CoP), respond to ongoing discussions, share events, opportunities or relevant resources.
- Connect with others, and grow your network and community.
- Post links, videos, or document and share your experience.
- Submit a blog post.
- Join the upcoming live discussions.
