Key out Comes

National Training and capacity building activities to assist in the development of a framework for the lifecycle management of industrial chemicals (import, use, storage, transport and disposal) under the Rotterdam Convention Tsaghkadzor, Republic of Armenia September 25-28, 2018 (Funding for this project was generously provided by the European Commission) THE ROTTERDAM CONVENTION ON THE PRIOR INFORMED CONSENT PROCEDURE FOR CERTAIN HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS AND PESTICIDES IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE SECRETARIAT OF THE ROTTERDAM CONVENTION Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Environment Programme United Nations (FAO) (UNEP) Viale delle Terme di Caracalla International Environment House 00100 Rome, Italy 11-13, Chemin des Anémones Tel: (+39 06) 5705 2188 CH – 1219 Châtelaine Fax: (+39 06) 5705 6347 Geneva, Switzerland E-mail: [email protected] Tel: (+41 22) 917 8296 Fax: (+41 22) 917 8082 E-mail: [email protected] Table of Contents Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Training Activity .................................................................................................................................. 7 Agenda and timetable ........................................................................................................................ 12 Action Plan to Strengthen the Management of Industrial Chemicals in the Rotterdam Convention in Armenia: ........................................................................................................................................ 18 Action Plan to Strengthen Chemicals Management in the Republic of Armenia……..…21 Mass-Media Coverage of the Training…………………………………………………………..25 Minutes of the Training……………………………………………………………………………35 Annex. Competencies of Different Ministries and Agencies of the Republic of Armenia in the Sphere of Chemicals and Waste Management………………………………………………… National Training under the Rotterdam Convention, Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, 25 to 28 September 2018 3 Introduction The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade establishes an international mechanism to regulate the trade of pesticides and industrial chemicals that are contained in its Annex III. The industrial chemicals included under the scope of the Rotterdam Convention have been banned or severely restricted for health or environmental reasons by Parties to the Convention. Of the 51 chemicals listed in Annex III, 14 are industrial chemicals. Despite the entry into force in 2004 of the Rotterdam Convention and the progressive inclusion of industrial chemicals to its Annex III, the absence or insufficiencies of regulatory programmes for industrial chemicals in many developing countries translates into a lack of tools to effectively protect human health and the environment from the potentially harmful effects of industrial chemicals. In this regard, Decision 4/9 adopted by the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties on national and regional delivery of technical assistance indicated that the strategic plan for implementing the work programme for industrial chemicals for 2009-2011 should, among others: • pay particular attention to the needs of Parties in meeting the requirements of paragraph 2 of Article 10 and Paragraph 1 of Article 5 of the Convention. This programme builds upon pilot projects on supporting countries in dealing with industrial chemicals that were implemented in 2010 in Botswana and Jordan and in 2012 in Mauritania and Honduras. All the information and materials used were then compiled in the form of an interactive electronic toolkit (which will also be part of the IOMC Toolbox). This toolkit can be used by other countries to assess the basic elements required in the management of industrial chemicals that would assist them in meeting their obligations under the Rotterdam Convention and other related MEAs. The pilot projects indicated that countries lacked the basic capabilities to assess exposures, evaluate and assess risk and manage risk when dealing with industrial chemicals. The reduction of chemical risks is the ultimate goal of the environmentally sound management of all chemicals. Risk reduction options include fundamental arrangements such as chemical safety legislation and enforcement, as well as other basic national means for the management of chemicals, adequate labeling and responsible care and stewardship by industry. Overall objectives: • Raise awareness on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure and the newly listed industrial chemicals (PFOS, octabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether); How to make assessments of exposures with respect to these new chemicals. • Facilitate the strengthening of existing national structures and mechanisms for cooperation and coordination for the sustainable management of chemicals in an integrated manner that involves all relevant stakeholders in the implementation of the chemicals and wastes conventions. • Foster cooperation and facilitate dialogue between the DNA and stakeholders on the challenges faced in chemicals management and the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions and to share experiences and promote cooperation in addressing these challenges. • Provide tools and approaches that can be used to apply precaution in industrial chemicals management. Demonstration and use of the Rotterdam Convention Industrial Chemicals Management Toolkit, WHO Human Health Risk Assessment Toolkit, IOMC Toolbox for National Training under the Rotterdam Convention, Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, 25 to 28 September 2018 4 Decision-Making in Chemicals Management, LIRA Guidance and specific guidance for upstream chemical control legislation, etc. • Facilitate the development of a framework and implementation plans for industrial chemicals management; Structure of the workshop: The workshop was convened for 4 days for 23 participants from different stakeholder institutions. It operated through a series of plenary sessions and roundtable discussions. To ensure the effectiveness of the workshop each stakeholder was requested to prepare a brief report on their mandates and involvement in the management of chemicals and wastes. Participants were suggested to critically look at the legal, institutional and administrative arrangements which exist for chemicals and waste management and take into account relevant arrangements for the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, including any key challenges being faced. Preparatory work aimed at mapping responsibilities of Government Agencies for chemicals and wastes management at the national level taking into consideration previous assessments (e.g., National Chemicals Profile, SAICM Capacity Assessment, NIPs, NAPs, etc,) so recommendations as to how to enhance inter-ministerial coordination with respect to chemicals and wastes management could be developed. Another area of preparatory work included the assessment of current information flows of chemicals and wastes between relevant agencies (e.g., related to imports, exports, use, transport, recycling, disposal, national exposure assessments, etc.). Participants The List of Training Participants involves Designated National Authority for industrial chemicals plus relevant stakeholders in the general management of chemicals in the Republic of Armenia, including: • Ministry of Nature Protection of the Republic of Armenia; • Ministry of Agriculture; • Ministry of Health, • Healthcare and Labour Inspection Body; • Food Safety Inspection Body; • Ministry of Economic Development and Investments; • Ministry of Emergency Situations; • State Revenue Committee’s Customs Authorities; • State Council on Statistics; • Republic of Armenia Police • Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment (AWHHE) NGO Partners UNEP Regional Office for Europe; World Health Organization; IOMC partners (UNITAR, UNEP Chemicals and Wastes Branch, CIEL). Outputs of the workshop • Participants shared information and experiences on existing inter-ministerial coordination/cooperation mechanisms at the national level, as well as identified the areas where they may be having challenges and how these could be addressed. National Training under the Rotterdam Convention, Tsaghkadzor, Armenia, 25 to 28 September 2018 5 • Participants identified strategies for enhancing/strengthening, national cooperation/coordination, monitoring and surveillance of priority chemicals, chemical risk evaluations and information exchange mechanisms on industrial chemicals and wastes under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. • Discussions were held and draft decisions made on further steps to develop and implement a national framework for the sound management of industrial chemicals. There was аn active search for answers to such questions as “How to promote effective implementation?”. Some of the foreseen challenges to be dealt with were identified, as well as all the players and stakeholders. • Clear definitions were given and documentation of the next steps defined: who will do what and when? • Awareness-raising on information requirements to conduct needs assessments and the elements of risk evaluation. Establish a process for evaluating the adequacy of national legislative and regulatory measures and policies and how to upgrade such legal measures and policies towards enabling and supporting the risk management decisions

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