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  PlanetArk 8 Feb 06
UN Global Environmental Chemical Deal Wins Approval

DUBAI - World environmental and health officials agreed on an initiative that aims to make chemicals safer for humans and the planet, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said on Tuesday.

The initiative, dubbed the Dubai Declaration, aims to create a global standard for the safe use of chemicals especially as much of their production has shifted to developing countries.

Under the initiative, countries are to coordinate their risk assessment of chemicals, harmonise labelling and tackle the dangers of outdated and stockpiled products, UNEP said.

The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) initiative, was adopted late on Monday at a meeting in Dubai, after earlier meetings in Johannesburg in 2002 and the 2005 World Summit in New York.

"This is a reasonable start with all chances to increase and develop further," UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said. "I sincerely believe (the agreement) will be a step to change in the way we use and produce chemicals. All kinds of chemicals are vital in the modern world. They have a key role in overcoming poverty and delivering sustainable development."

The agreement also covers setting up centres aimed at helping countries train staff in chemical safety and dealing with spills and accidents, especially in developing countries.

"Developing countries need help in terms of the better use, handling and disposal of chemicals," Toepfer said. UNEP, which helped organise the Dubai meeting, would house SAICM's secretariat and roughly $10 million has been pledged to Quick Start, a programme aimed at giving financial support to developing countries to handle chemicals safely.

Some environmental advocates said the agreement fell short of expectations. "From WWF's perspective, the final outcomes of the Dubai negotiations are extremely disappointing, with the results akin to achieving a half loaf of bread, not well baked," said Clifton Curtis, director of the Global Toxics Programme of the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Curtis said despite the agreement being legally non-binding, the United States and other governments insisted on watering it down to restrict its scope.

US officials could not be immediately reached to comment. "It needs to be more ambitious ... it should be a flexible toolbox of actions," Curtis told Reuters.
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