Panelist: Dr. Jutta Emig,  Head of the Unit International Chemicals Safety, Sustainable
Chemistry at the German Federal Ministry on Environment, Nature
Conservation and Nuclear Safety
                  Dr. Marcos A. Orellana, UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights
Dr. Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm
Conventions
David Azoulay, CIEL, Managing Attorney
Alexandra Caterbow, HEJ-Support, Co-Director
Jürgen Maier, German NGO Forum on Environment and Development
(Moderation)

The main panel was interpreted into 4 other languages. Here you can find the translation into Arabic, French, Russian and Spanish.

Conclusion of the main panel:

How should the ideal solution look like?

All participants matched when they said, that there is no simply answer on that question and not only one solution. But there are several ideal elements a good solution for the international regulation of chemicals should include. And existing management approaches as SAICM can be improved with that elements. Especially the implementation must be improved, mechanism must be implemented, which take real action of specific issues and for that there is a need for capacity building. All that must be supported by a solid financing mechanism, as a key issue of a strong and effective approach. But also, the approach has to change. Currently the focus lays on the minimization of the use and exposure of chemicals. But the minimization is incompatible to the human right of health and healthy environment, as it minimize the use and exposure to a certain level, but do not fully prevent people and the environment from the exposition. So an ideal solution must focus to aim a toxic free environment and prevent the poisoning of the world. To reach that goal, there is a need for a transparent and inclusive participation of all stakeholders and right holders. Bridges to other policy areas must be build to address chemicals as a cross cutting issue. And as chemicals do not know borders, and impacts of the use and exposure of chemicals can have their source on another part of the world or even from a past generation, it needs to be an international process and the stakeholder and right holders must also represent the internationality of the process. Among existing stakeholders there is a big need to involve the science in the process and build up a science policy interface, especially to address the complexity of chemicals use and regulation.

How do we create pressure to gain a good solution?

Currently we are mostly looking on the issue by what is economic achievable and what can we achieve by small steps, as a part of real politics. But we must look the other way around: what are the effects and the costs for not acting and not reaching the objective of SAICM? The effects are diseases, death, destruction of the environment and massive economic costs for all industry sectors. We must create a big picture about the problem and the solution instead of have technical discussion about certain substances. We can learn lessons from the climate and the plastic crisis, here the people see the big picture of the problem and start to engage. So the key is to improve the communication on the chemicals issue. People are generally interested in issues, that concern their lifes and their life quality, that my help. But there are two main obstacles to improve the communication. First, in contrast to the climate issue, where we have a clear and easy to communicate target (the 1.5 target) the chemicals issue is more complex as we do not have on target on one pollutant. There are hundreds of thousands of substances and we also need many of them for various services and in our society. Second, as mentioned before people are interested in their life quality. But as there are million of people suffer hunger, have no job and income or struggle different kinds of oppression the chemicals issue is far away from interest. And the whole story about consuming and reach luck by having the right products, is not helpful at all at that point. Here the chemicals management can not simply present a solution it is more about having the human rights fulfilled for everyone and everywhere as a basis for all international actions on certain issues. On the first obstacle there might be a solution which could be implemented in a international regulation: the science policy interface. The science policy interface might not help to transfer scientific information and finding to a public campaign, but it helps to create a consensus through the different stakeholders. The multi sectoral character and the multi stakeholder platform of SAICM is a big gain. The science can help to  support this achievement and increase the collaboration through different stakeholders. An example is the Global Chemicals Outlook published by the United Nations Environmental Program. It is an necessary document for all stakeholders working on the chemicals issue, but it does not have the range to reach the entire public. The attention raising have to be part of the further activities.

But to raise awareness, to communicate and to work on special issues of concern, there is a need for more than a science policy interface. There is need for a solid funding. As mentioned before it is a key issue to reach a solid chemicals management. We already know enough to urgently act, to bring into life concrete projects and actions. But we do not have the capacities and the funding to act. For example, we see that SAICM is funded with just a small part of the budget which is provided for the Stockholm Convention. And even the Stockholm Convention do not have enough money and even covers just 30 substances. SAICM addresses about 300.000 of substances and chemicals. So we are confronted with an enormous financial lack and also with a lack of responsibility of the companies. The companies making profits while governments from all over the world arguing against each other about the funding’s. To make the industry accountable the polluters pay principle must be enforced. So we gain a solid funding and a kind of justice as the causer of environmental destruction and health issues are taken in responsibility. But, since it is sometimes really hard to find the real polluters because of complex supply chains and untraceable products and components there is also a need for another pillar of funding: the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund, which was established on  the eve of the Rio Earth Summit. With these two pillars a solid funding for the international chemicals management can be improved.