Consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes

Background

The consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes was launched by the UNEP Executive Director in recognition of the need for adequate resources in the field of chemicals and wastes management. The process was first announced at the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants held in May 2009. The purpose of the consultations would be to analyse the current situation with regard to financing for chemicals and waste management at the national level, including but not limited to the implementation of Party obligations under chemicals-related multilateral environmental agreements, and to devise strategic, synergistic proposals for improving it. The consultations would also provide advice to the UNEP Executive Director on options that could be pursued to move forward in this area.

Bangkok Meeting - October 2011

The fifth meeting of the consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes is scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 6 to 7 October 2011. The meeting will he held at the Siam City Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. For more information on the venue please refer to the logistics note below

The overall objective of the fifth meeting of the consultative process is to finalize and submit the outcome of the process to the Executive Director of UNEP as input to his final report for consideration at the twelfth special session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, in February 2012, and with a view to achieving possible decisions at the third session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management, in 2012, and at the twenty-seventh session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, in 2013. At the meeting in Bangkok, the participants will further explore ways to operationalize each of the four financing tracks identified.

+Agenda and Logistic

+Related Background Documents

+Outcome Document

New York Meeting - May 2011

The fourth meeting of the consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes is scheduled to be held in New York, USA from 4 and 5 May 2011. The meeting is scheduled to be held at Glen Cove Mansion.

The overall objective of the fourth meeting of the consultative process is to further discuss and analyze the element of four financing tracks, namely a) Mainstreaming of sound management of chemicals and hazardous wastes; b) Industry involvement, including public-private partnerships and the use of economic instruments at national and international levels; c) New trust fund similar to the Multilateral Fund; and d) Introducing safe chemicals and wastes management as a new focal area, expanding the existing POPs focal area under GEF or establishing a new trust fund under GEF. In particular the meeting will undertake a comparative analysis of the above-mentioned tracks with the objective of determining the role each element could have in contributing to an integrated approach for sound management of chemicals and wastes.

+Agenda and Logistic

+Related Background Documents

+Report and Outcome Document

Pretoria Meeting – January 2011

The third meeting of the consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes is scheduled to be held in Pretoria, South Africa from 10 to 11 January 2011.

The overall objective of the third meeting of the consultative process is to develop an action plan intended to increase and facilitate the flow of available capacity and resources that will adequately support the sound management of chemicals and wastes at the global, regional and national levels.

The action plan is expected to contain the first components of a “Package of Financing Options” for enhancing the implementation of the chemicals and wastes agenda at the national, regional and global level that can be consistently introduced by Governments to relevant intergovernmental, multi-lateral and bi-lateral meetings and financing discussions.

+Agenda and Concept Note

+Related Documents

GC.SS.XI/GMEF – February 2010

During the eleventh special session of the UNEP GC/GMEF held in Bali, Indonesia in February 2010, the Council adopted decision SS.XI/8 Consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes. The full text of the decision is available under “Related documents”

Among other things, the decision welcomes the establishment of a consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes and requests the Executive Director to continue leading the consultative process. The decision further requests the Executive Director to ensure that comments and contributions of Governments are incorporated into a revised note by the Executive Director on financing the chemicals and wastes agenda and into the action-oriented summary of policy options for financing chemicals and wastes.

The decision also requests the Executive Director to report to the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum at its twenty-sixth session on the implementation of decision SS.XI/8 Consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes.

+Related Documents

During the second meeting of the consultative group, which took place in Bangkok in October 2009, the participants provided feedback on the preliminary desk study and requested UNEP to revise it so that it could become a reference document that would form the basis of further discussions on financing options for the chemicals and wastes agenda. The revised desk study outlines the range of options (referred to as “tracks”) for securing adequate financing in the areas of chemicals and wastes. Most of these options are not mutually exclusive and would be mutually reinforcing if implemented in a coordinated manner.

During the second meeting, participants also requested UNEP to produce a paper on policy options for financing the chemicals and wastes agenda, with a focus on outlining advantageous paths and combinations of options to move the chemicals and wastes agenda forward.

+Related Documents

Revised Desk Study on Financing Options for Chemicals and Wastes, revised on the basis of discussions at the Second Consultative Meeting (reproduced in document UNEP/GCSS.XI/INF/8 - click link )

To initiate the process, a brainstorming meeting was held in Nairobi in July 2009, during which participants called upon UNEP to undertake a desk study to explore the funding and support needs of developing countries and countries with economies in transition and relevant ways to support compliance with chemicals and waste-related multilateral environment agreements and capacity-building, including institutional strengthening and technical assistance for promoting the sound management of chemicals and wastes in broader terms. A preliminary desk study was produced for consideration at the second meeting of the consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes with the aim of providing participants’ with possible options for securing adequate financing in the areas of chemicals and wastes.

Related documents

Report of the First Consultative Meeting, including Agenda and Roadmap

If you have any questions or queries to the process please contact Mr. Jacob Duer, Chief, Strategic Policy and Facilitation Branch, Division of Environmental Law and Conventions, UNEP on jacob.duer@unep.org