Pilot projects on industrial chemicals management in developing countries under the Rotterdam Convention, funded by the European Union

The secretariat carried out pilot projects in Botswana, Jordan, Mauritania and Honduras. The following approach was used during the implementation of the pilot projects on industrial chemicals in the selected countries:

  • Undertaking of pre-scoping missions (for Botswana and Jordan only) to hold discussions with high-level personnel in the relevant ministries and agencies;
  • Convening initial workshops of stakeholders to establish roles and responsibilities, to gather data and to provide information about processes and tools for the development of sound industrial chemicals management system necessary for meeting obligations under the Rotterdam convention;
  • Undertaking of national situation analysis with regard to the management of chemicals and the updating of national chemicals profiles;
  • Carrying out legal studies to clarify the situation regarding legislative and regulatory frameworks in the countries for the management of chemicals;
  • Convening second workshops to consider the national situations based on the legal studies and national profiles and develop framework plans and the processes to be followed for the implementation of the plans.

These countries went through a range of challenges as they implemented the varying project objectives below:

  • National cohesion: introduction of processes to establish sustainable multi-stakeholder national committees for developing national frameworks for the management of industrial chemicals;
  • Legislative and regulatory frameworks: review of instruments with a view to enabling hazard, risk assessment and management in the decision-making process;
  • National situation analysis: establishment of processes for data collection that would complement the updating or development of national profiles on chemicals;
  • Implementation plans: establishment of processes to implement the national frameworks.

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) that can be used by other countries to assess their status in the management of industrial chemicals and develop a framework plan tailored to current level of development.

Country

Outcomes

Comments

Botswana

  1. Review of existing legal and administrative measures for the management of chemicals - Legal study.
  2. Work-plan for the management of industrial chemicals and implementation of Rotterdam convention obligations.
  3. Globally Harmonised System and Classification (GHS) of chemicals implementation plan for Botswana.

The Environmental Occupational Health Division in which the Chemicals Management Unit (CMU) is housed experienced very high staff turnover which affected the implementation of the pilot project. Three project managers sequentially left one after the other. New recruitments had to be done which took time.

From August 2011 to April 2012 a total of 6 advertisements were placed in a variety of Newspapers for a legal consultant till one company was contracted to do the study.

The CMU convened 4 meetings of relevant stakeholders plus a data collection orientation workshop to devise questionnaires to all government departments and industries. However, the response rate was so dismal. Only two companies responded.

Project was completed in March 2014.

Honduras

  1. Legal study - Review of existing legal and administrative measures for the management of chemicals in Honduras - Spanish.
    Legal study - Review of existing legal and administrative measures for the management of chemicals in Honduras - English
  2. National Chemicals Profile Executive Summary for Honduras – Spanish.
    National Chemicals Profile update for Honduras - Spanish
    National Chemicals Profile update for Honduras - English
  3. Work plan for industrial chemicals management and the Rotterdam Convention implementation in Honduras - Spanish

Advertisements were done requesting bids for contactors to do the Legal Study and the National Chemicals Profile update, respectively. Access to information was a big challenge; however, drafts of the above documents were produced by December 2013. There was also a problem with the consultant hired to do the legal study.

The two main reports (National Profile update and the Legal study) were translated into English before their submission to the Secretariat.

Project was completed in May 2014.

Mauritania

  1. Review of existing legal and administrative measures for the management of chemicals - Legal study - French.
  2. Plan of action for the implementation of the Rotterdam Convention - French.

There seemed to be a lot of challenges in Mauritania regarding interested people to do the study and procedures for getting consultants that led to delays in this pilot project. The TOR for the legal study were published 3 times in the newspapers and only 2 candidates responded. They needed 3 responses, so they contacted potential candidates and asked them to respond so that they could at least consider 3 applications.

The Deputy Minister requested a final calling and 3 candidates responded. Selection for the best candidate was done and it hoped that the study will be finished by March 2014.

The project was finally completed in June 2014.

Jordan

  1. Review of existing legal and administrative measures for the management of chemicals – Legal study in Jordan
  2. Draft framework for industrial Chemicals Management in Jordan
  3. National Chemicals Profile update – Nano Chapter

The project was completed in January 2013.