PRESENTATION OF THE NATIONAL ACTION PLAN TO IMPLEMENT THE GHS IN SENEGAL

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PRESENTATION OF THE NATIONAL ACTION PLAN TO
IMPLEMENT THE GHS IN SENEGAL

• Meeting on the Globally Harmonized System for
  Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
• Geneva, July, 2003
• Ousmane SOW
• Direction of Environment
• and Classified Establishments
• Senegal

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SUMMARY

• EXPERIENCE GAINED THROUGH THE UNITAR PROJECT ON
  THE GHS
• BENEFITS FOR SENEGAL OF THE UNITAR PROGRAMME
• APPRAISAL OF THE LEGAL INSTRUMENTS FOR THE
  MANAGEMENT OF CHEMICALS IN SENEGAL
• AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE LABELLING AND
  THE CLASSIFICATION OF CHEMICALS
• APPLICATION OF THE GHS IN SENEGAL
• ACTION PLAN TO IMPLEMENT THE GHS IN SENEGAL
• NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON CHEMICAL HAZARD
  COMMUNICATION

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EXPERIENCE GAINED THROUGH THE UNITAR PROJECT ON
THE GHS

• The UNITAR Project on the GHS allowed the
  Senegalese government
• To analyse the situation on classification and
  labelling of chemicals
• To create a national committee on management of
  chemicals with all stakeholders

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EXPERIENCE GAINED THROUGH THE UNITAR PROJECT ON
THE GHS

• To develop an action plan to implement GHS
• To organize a workshop on chemical hazard
  communication
• To better appreciate the importance of capacity
  building in the implemention of the GHS

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BENEFITS FOR SENEGAL OF THE UNITAR PROGRAMME

• The UNITAR Programme developing and
  sustaining a national integrated programme for
  sound management of chemicals allowed Senegal to
  obtain the following benefits
• Capacity building for the sound management of
  chemicals

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BENEFITS FOR SENEGAL OF THE UNITAR PROGRAMME

• Creation of an interministerial group on
  coordination of chemicals
• Elaboration of a national action plan to
  establish a poison centre
• Elaboration of a national action plan for
  implementation of GHS

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APPRAISAL OF THE LEGAL INSTRUMENTS FOR THE
MANAGEMENT OF CHEMICALS IN SENEGAL

• The legal instruments and the not statutory
  mechanisms for the management of chemicals are
  essential for an action plan on the
  classification and the labelling of chemicals.
• Key legal instruments relating to Chemicals
• International code of conduct on the
  distribution and the use of pesticides

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APPRAISAL OF THE LEGAL INSTRUMENTS FOR THE
MANAGEMENT OF CHEMICALS IN SENEGAL

• Code of ethics on the international trade of
  chemicals
• Rotterdam Convention
• Stockholm Convention

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APPRAISAL OF THE LEGAL INSTRUMENTS FOR THE
MANAGEMENT OF CHEMICALS IN SENEGAL

• Convention on the prohibition of the use of the
  white lead in paint
• Vienna Convention on the protection of the ozone
  layer
• Montreal Protocol concerning substances which
  deplete the ozone layer and its amendments of
  London and Copenhagen

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APPRAISAL OF THE LEGAL INSTRUMENTS FOR THE
MANAGEMENT OF CHEMICALS IN SENEGAL

• Bamako Convention on the Ban on the import into
  Africa of all forms of dangerous waste and the
  control of the same waste produced in Africa
• Senegal Environment Code

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APPRAISAL OF THE LEGAL INSTRUMENTS FOR THE
MANAGEMENT OF CHEMICALS IN SENEGAL

• It is in the framework of this code that a
  National Committee on Management of Chemicals was
  created in February 2002.
• This National Committee is in charge of
  overseeing the implementation of the legislation
  and for the regulations relative to chemicals.

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AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE LABELLING AND
THE CLASSIFICATION OF CHEMICALS

• Police
• Most of the police have only a vague notion
  on the labelling and the classification of
  chemicals.
• Customs officers
• Certain customs officers, especially those
  who work in the sector of chemicals and
  hydrocarbons, know about labelling and
  classification of chemicals.

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AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE LABELLING AND
THE CLASSIFICATION OF CHEMICALS

• General public
• In general the public knows nothing about the
  labelling and the classification of chemicals.
• Farmers
• The farmers who have some level of education
  are informed about the labelling and the
  classification of chemicals, but do not take the
  necessary precautions when they use these
  products.

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AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE LABELLING AND
THE CLASSIFICATION OF CHEMICALS

• Communicators
• While they often hear about classification
  and labelling of chemicals, they do not
  understand exactly what it is.
• NGOs
• Staff of NGOs working in the agricultural
  and industrial fields generally have a vague
  knowledge about the classification and the
  labelling of chemicals.

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APPLICATION OF THE GHS IN SENEGAL

• The successful implementation of the Globally
  Harmonized System (GHS) throughout the world will
  depend on the measure in which countries will
  recognize the potential advantages of the GHS and
  will be equipped with necessary infrastructures
  to apply and manage the system at the national
  level.
• The creation of national structures for the
  coordination of the management of chemicals will
  be essential for the implementation of
  operational capacities for the application of the
  GHS.

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APPLICATION OF THE GHS IN SENEGAL

• Measures for the adaptation of the GHS in
  Senegal.
• Senegal can adopt the GHS, but it will be
  necessary to request importers and manufacturers
  of chemicals to set up a mechanism for its
  application and to develop awareness, information
  and training about the correct use as well as the
  risks incurred by a bad management of chemicals.

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APPLICATION OF THE GHS IN SENEGAL

• Create a technical committee within the National
  Committee on Management of the Chemicals which
  will be in charge of considering the means for
  the application of the Globally Harmonized System
  for classification and labelling of chemicals.
• Improve the workers safety systems and establish
  chemical incident action plans with those
  responsible for the chemical industry.

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APPLICATION OF THE GHS IN SENEGAL

• Undertake campaigns of information, awareness and
  training for workers in the chemical industry,
  users of chemicals, communicators and the general
  public.
• Work in close collaboration with communicators
  and the manufacturers for wide scale diffusion of
  information on the new Globally Harmonized System
  for classification and labelling of chemicals
  (GHS).

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ACTION PLAN TO IMPLEMENT THE GHS IN SENEGAL

• The action plan is centred around the
  following four axes
• Strengthening of the legal framework
• Strengthening of the human, technical and
  financial capacities
• Information and awareness

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ACTION PLAN TO IMPLEMENT THE GHS IN SENEGAL

• Preparation for the application of the GHS
• The first three axes constitute the major
  elements for the preparation of the adoption and
  implementation of the (GHS) by Senegal.
• As such, this action plan should be perceived
  as a national of capacity building project for
  the application of GHS.

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ACTION PLAN TO IMPLEMENT THE GHS IN SENEGAL

• Strengthening of the legal framework of
  regulations for labelling and classification of
  chemicals
• Activity 1 elaboration and application of
  statutory measures relative to the labelling and
  classification of chemicals
• Activity 2 application by the CILSS of
  statutory texts to improve the legal framework
  concerning the classification and labelling of
  products.

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ACTION PLAN TO IMPLEMENT THE GHS IN SENEGAL

• Strengthening of the technical, human and
  financial capacities
• Activity 1 training of the target groups in
  the system of labelling and classification of
  chemicals
• Activity 2 strengthening the material and
  logistic means for the labelling and the
  classification of chemicals

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ACTION PLAN TO IMPLEMENT THE GHS IN SENEGAL

• Application of a strategy of information and
  awareness relative to the labelling and
  classification of chemicals
• Activity 1 development and application of a
  program of information, education and
  communication
• Activity 2 training and awareness in
  industrial and agricultural sectors.

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ACTION PLAN TO IMPLEMENT THE GHS IN SENEGAL

• Preparation for the adoption of the GHS
• Activity 1 training the trainers in the GHS
• Activity 2 information and awareness of
  decision-makers

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NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON CHEMICAL HAZARD
COMMUNICATION

• At the end of the one year Program UNITAR /
  IOMC / GOVERNMENT of Senegal, a national workshop
  on chemical hazard communication was organized in
  Dakar, with the financial and logistic support of
  the UNITAR and ILO
• The program was as follows
• Chemical safety and environmentally sound
  management of chemicals and dangerous waste

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NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON CHEMICAL HAZARD COMMUNICATION

• National Legal framework on the management of
  chemicals
• Analysis of the situation concerning the
  labelling and the classification of chemicals
  legal, technical and information aspects
• Action plan for the application of the GHS

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