OAS

1
OAS SAICM Cooperation for Sound Management of
Chemicals (SMC) in the Americas Bridgetown,
Barbados March,10-13, 2009.

• Jean Marc RACINE
• Environmental Management Specialist
• OAS SAICM Focal Point
• Sound Management of Chemicals (SMC)
• Department of Sustainable Development (DSD).-
• Organization of American States (OAS).-
• E-mail jmracine_at_oas.org

2
OAS Decision-Making Mechanisms

• OAS Main Decision-Making Mechanisms
• Summit of the Americas (OAS-SOA) every 2 and/or
  4 years - made of Heads of States of the
  Americas and set Mandates for the Hemisphere
  
• Includes Special Summits such As Health and
  Environment Ministers of the Americas (HEMA) -
  held whenever an issue is judged pressing enough
  by the member states to require specific
  Positions/Mandates.
• General Assembly (OAS-GA) held once a year
  made of Foreign Ministers of the Americas and
  set member countries major policies and goals
  through resolutions
• Permanent Council Ongoing decision-making
  mechanism made of ambassadors appointed by the
  member states carries out ongoing actions and
  targets emerging issues for consideration by GA
  and SOA.

3
OAS Mandates on SMC

• Emergence of SMC issues in the Americas
  (1994-1998)
• 1st Summit of the Americas, Miami, USA - 1994
• Established Broad Mandates on human Health and
  Environmental Protection for the Americas -
• Pan American Conference on Health and
  Environment in Human Development (PAN American
  Charter) Washington, DC October 1995.
• A Follow-up of the First Summit of Americas
  (Miami, 1994) - Gathered for the first time the
  Health, Environment, and Development Ministers
  of the Americas and
• Provided Mandates on Health and Environment for
  the Americas which today are being
  re-formulated and carried out through the OAS SMC
  program.

4
OAS Mandates on SMC

• PAN American Charter Washington, DC October
  1995
• The Health, Environment and Development Ministers
  acknowledged
• being Aware of continuing man-made damage to
  human and natural resources - especially air,
  water and soil - that arise from non-sustaining
  economic policies and practices, increased urban
  concentrations, poorly managed technology
  applications, and inadequate social knowledge and
  behavior and Calling upon governments and
  societies to implement the Declaration of
  Principles and Agenda 21 of the United Nations
  Conference on Environment and Development (Rio de
  Janeiro, 1992), and the mandates emanating from
  the Ibero-American and Miami Summit of 1994
  then directed the Hemisphere to
• Protecting and promoting the health of all
  persons, in an environment that supports their
  well being, should serve as the prime
  decision-making criterion in planning and
  managing socioeconomic development
• Protecting humans from health hazards in their
  natural and man-made environments requires not
  only initial provisions and designed safeguards,
  but also continuing surveillance and the capacity
  to act against acute and chronic dangers

5
OAS Mandates on SMC

• SMC Mandates (1996 1998)
• Special Summit of Americas on Sustainable
  Development , Santa Cruz, Bolivia,1996.
• Specific Mandates on SMC and then identified
  Cross-cutting issues Energy and Minerals,
  Water Resources and Coastal Areas, and
  Sustainable Agriculture and Forests.
• 2nd Summit of the Americas, Santiago, Chili,
  April 1998.
• Reaffirmed support to the Outcome of the Special
  Summit on Sustainable Development, and
  identified additional cross-cutting issues
  Mandates on Health Technology, Sustainable
  Development, Free Trade and
• Called upon the OAS to Develop initiatives
  designed to reduce deficits in access to and
  quality of drinking water, basic sanitation and
  solid waste management, with special emphasis in
  rural and poor urban areas, by applying existing
  technologies or developing new, appropriate and
  effective low-cost technologies

6
OAS Mandates on SMC

• The HEMA Declaration of Ottawa, 2002.
• 3rd Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada
  2001
• Called upon the Ministers of Health and
  Environment of the Americas to act for improving
  the health and environmental conditions of the
  countries of the region
• 1st Health and Environment Ministers of the
  Americas (HEMA) Forum, Ottawa, Canada, March
  2002
• Direct follow of the Pan American Charter of 1995
  (Pre-HEMA Forum)
• Direct follow-up of the 3rd Summit of the
  Americas HEMA mandate of 2001 and
• Called for Concerted actions for Sound
  Management of Chemicals with specific linkages
  to cross-cutting issues directly associated with
  Sustainable Development which is acknowledged
  as being of primary importance should SMC be
  successfully implemented in the Americas

7
OAS Mandates on SMC

• The HEMA Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005.
• Special Summit of the Americas, Monterey Mexico,
  Jan 2004
• Reiterated the call made at the 3rd SOA - and
  mandated the HEMA Forum to develop a cooperative
  agenda for preventing and reducing environmental
  health impacts
• 2nd Health and Environment Ministers of the
  Americas (HEMA) Forum- Mar del Plata, Argentina,
  June 2005.
• Follow-up of the Special SOA HEMA Mandates
  Monterey, 2004, and the specific response to
  the HEMA declaration of Ottawa , 2002

8
OAS Mandates on SMC

• The HEMA Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005.
• Specifically
• Called upon the OAS to promoting regional
  cooperation around priorities linked to
  environmental health related issues as translated
  into national initiatives, supported by the
  provision of appropriate tools and
  decision-making support resources, and the
  deepening integration of civil society
  organizations as framed in Agenda XXI - and
• Committed to developing and implementing
  strategies to manage risks, reduce threats to
  ecosystems and to human health in our region from
  pesticides and other chemical substances,
  particularly with respect to vulnerable
  populations, including indigenous groups,
  industrial and agricultural workers, women and
  Children.
• HEMA Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005.

9
OAS SMC Program Implementation

• OAS SMC Program Main Priorities
• Achieving the goals of the HEMA declarations,
  as derived from the Organizations SMC Mandates
  and
• Promoting Synergy in SMC actions at the
  regional level - through
• Ensuring that OAS led SMC interventions are in
  line with existing conventions and mechanisms to
  which OAS member States have already adhered and
  
• Supporting comprehensive cooperation/partnership
  mechanisms capable of advancing the OAS SMC
  program for the benefits of our member States.

10
OAS SAICM Cooperation for SMC

• Global SMC Conventions and Mechanisms
• SMC Related MEAs
• OAS supports all SMC related MEAs to which OAS
  member states at varied level have adhered
  (signed and/or ratified)
• SMC Umbrella Policy Framework
• SAICM - the Umbrella Policy framework addressing
  the global dimension of SMC and promoting
  cooperation mechanisms through its Global Action
  Plan (GAP) and Overarching Policy Strategy (OPS)
  is directly in line with the prerogatives of
  the OAS Summits Mandates and HEMA declarations
  on SMC.

11
OAS SAICM Cooperation for SMC

• OAS SMC Implementation Strategy
• Operationalizing OAS SMC Mandates and associated
  HEMA declarations through the SAICM Overarching
  Policy framework (OPS) and implementation
  Mechanisms therein lie the Fundamentals of the
  OAS SAICM cooperation for SMC in the Americas.
• Rational Such an Approach meets all the
  priorities set forth by the OAS SMC Mandates and
  HEMAs declarations, while facilitating synergy
  (Results Management, e.g.) with the Umbrella
  Strategy (SAICM) and its related MEAs.

12
OAS SAICM Cooperation for SMC

• The Cooperations Main Outputs to Date
• Co-organized with SAICM Secretariat the First
  meeting of the SAICM LAC Region, Panama City,
  Panama, Feb14-16, 2008 establishing the SAICM
  LAC Regional Coordination Committee (RCC)
• Sponsored the organization of the First Meeting
  of the SAICM LAC Regional Coordination Committee,
  Port-of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, June 11-13,
  2008 (SAICM RCC LAC)
• Supported the Elaboration of the Regional Action
  Plan (RAP) for the LAC Region

13
OAS SAICM Cooperation for SMC

• OAS SMC Program The Way Forward.
• Supporting OAS Member States in meeting the
  prerogatives of the SOAs and SSOAs Mandates on
  SMC and associated HEMA declarations and
• Facilitating the implementation of the SAICM
  Framework and Mechanisms, and related MEAs in
  the Americas

14
Thank You !!!