Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety
Global Partnerships for Chemical Safety
Contributing to the 2020 Goal
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Agenda item 2
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Dakar, Senegal
15 – 19 September 2008
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Proposed Provisional Annotated Agenda
IFCS/FORUM-VI/02w
Original: English
July 2008
Secretariat: c/o World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (22) 791 3873/3650; Fax: +41 (22) 791 4875; Email: ifcs@who.int; Website: www.ifcs.ch

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Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety
Sixth Session – Forum VI
15 – 19 September 2008
IFCS/Forum-VI/02w
July 2008
Opening of the meeting
3.
Organizational matters concerning Forum VI
- designation of rapporteur
- adoption of agenda
- adoption of provisional timetable
President’s Report
IFCS administrative items
Future of IFCS
Nanotechnology and manufactured nanomaterials: opportunities and challenges
Substitution and alternatives
International transport of lead and cadmium via trade: an international concern?
Ecologically based Integrated Pest Management and Integrated Vector Management: key elements of pesticide risk reduction strategies
Any other business
Review of conclusions and recommendations
Adoption of the report of the meeting
Closing of the Meeting
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Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety
Sixth Session – Forum VI
15 – 19 September 2008
IFCS/Forum-VI/02w
July 2008
ANNOTATIONS
Agenda item 1: Opening of the meeting
The Sixth Session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (Forum VI) will be opened by the IFCS President at 10h00 on Monday, 15 September 2008 at the Méridien
President Hotel, Dakar.
Welcoming statements and addresses will be made by representatives of the Government of
Senegal.
IFCS Special Recognition Awards and Awards of Merit will be presented to the 2008 recipients.
Agenda item 2: Organizational matters concerning Forum VI
The Forum is requested to designate a rapporteur for its sixth session.
The Provisional Agenda (IFCS/FORUM-VI/01wRev1) and Proposed General Time Schedule
(IFCS/FORUM-VI/03w) will be presented for adoption. The President will provide a brief introduction to the agenda items, highlighting the issues to be considered and action requested.
Agenda item 3: President’s Progress Report:
The President will report on the activities and work of the Forum Standing Committee (FSC) since Forum V.
Agenda item 4: IFCS Administrative items:
The secretariat will present the financial statement (IFCS/FORUM-VI/04w) reporting on contributions and expenditures since Forum V for the Trust Fund, Twinning Funds and designated and in-kind contributions.
Agenda item 5: Future of IFCS
Forum V established a working group (WG) to prepare a draft decision on the future role and functions of IFCS for consideration at Forum VI. The Forum WG has prepared a draft decision document including proposals for the future role and functions of the IFCS, options for its institutional arrangement, its possible relationship to the ICCM, and its contribution to the implementation of the SAICM and the work of other chemicals-related organizations and institutions, for consideration at Forum VI (IFCS/FORUM-VI/05w).
At the request of the Forum WG, the secretariat has prepared proposed revised versions of the
Terms of Reference (TOR) covering the options for structure and institutional arrangements presented in the draft decision document and applicable to relevant time periods
(IFCS/FORUM-VI/06w).
The Forum WG recognized that to make an informed decision about the future of IFCS, the
Forum should have a sense of the budgetary costs of each option under its consideration. It
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Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety
Sixth Session – Forum VI
15 – 19 September 2008
IFCS/Forum-VI/02w
July 2008 requested the IFCS secretariat, the SAICM secretariat and UNEP to provide this budgetary information in the form of a supplemental paper for Forum VI (IFCS/FORUM-VI/11 INF).
Agenda item 6: Nanotechnology and manufactured nanomaterials: opportunities and challenges
Nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging technological approach that is expected to result in major changes across many industry sectors. This may bring many advances to society and benefits for the environment, but also poses new challenges, especially in health and safety.
The objective of the plenary session on nanotechnology and manufactured nanomaterials is to exchange information in order to help raise the awareness of participants to the potential new opportunities, the new challenges and the new hazards and risks posed by nanotechnology.
The meeting will provide a forum to share information on known and emerging issues, on the work of the OECD and ISO on nanotechnology and to foster an understanding of issues
(applications and implications). The Forum will also be an opportunity to discuss the potential contributions of nanotechnology to sustainable development and to discuss how to achieve an equitable distribution of benefits and risks and role of responsible stewardship in addressing nanotechnology. A Thought Starter has been prepared to provide a basis for the discussion of this issue (IFCS/FORUM-VI/01.TS). Information on the work of OECD, IOMC participating organizations and ISO in the area of nanotechnology and manufactured nanomaterials is provided in information papers contributed by the organizations (IFCS/FORUM-VI/4 INF,
IFCS/FORUM-VI/5 INF, IFCS/FORUM-VI/6 INF).
Agenda item 7: Substitution and alternatives
Substitution has been one of the tools for the protection of the environment virtually since the beginning of environmental policy. To replace harmful substances and processes with less harmful ones or with non-chemical alternatives, can be an effective strategy to reduce risks to human health and the environment. Substitution is thus a strategy of risk reduction through implementing solutions to prevent human and environmental exposure to certain chemical hazards while still achieving the intended goal.
The objectives of the plenary session on substitution and alternatives is to raise awareness and discuss substitution (both chemical and non-chemical alternatives) as a proven and effective instrument to lower risks, in a multi-perspective, multi-stakeholder way; to identify and analyse potential triggers and drivers of substitution processes including analytical tools supporting prioritization and subsequent decision making; to determine ways and approaches to implement substitution, and to discuss process mechanisms for substitution, particularly for resource poor countries. A Thought Starter has been prepared to provide a basis for the discussion of this issue (IFCS/FORUM-VI/02.TS).
Agenda item 8: International transport of lead and cadmium via trade: an international concern?
The Forum VI is invited to examine whether the dispersal of lead and cadmium through international trade of these metals as commodities and in products and wastes may warrant coordinated international action to protect human health and the environment. The Forum is requested to consider whether such trade may lead to problems that cannot be addressed by
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Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety
Sixth Session – Forum VI
15 – 19 September 2008
IFCS/Forum-VI/02w
July 2008 countries acting alone, whether those problems may rise to the level of an international concern, and thus whether they call for a coordinated international approach to addressing them. The Forum may wish to examine this question from the point of view of both producing and consuming countries, and especially developing countries and countries in transition.
If the Forum concludes that adverse effects related to mobility of these metals through international trade may warrant coordinated international action, then the Forum may wish to consider what additional steps or actions may be desirable, including the means for their implementation.
The Forum VI session on lead and cadmium responds to the requests of the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD), UNEP Governing Council and Forum V to identify effective ways to reduce exposure and to promote reduction of risks. The session is intended to complement other ongoing United Nations work on lead and cadmium by providing input to discussions on the subject that may take place in 2009 at the second International
Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM-2) and the Twenty-Fifth Session of the UNEP
Governing Council.
A Thought Starter has been prepared to provide a basis for the discussion of this issue
(IFCS/FORUM-VI/03.TS). A Lead and Cadmium Reference List as a complementary document to the Forum VI Thought Starter has been prepared (IFCS/FORUM-VI/7 INF). An update on UNEP Chemicals’ Lead and Cadmium Activities is provided in an information paper contributed by UNEP (IFCS/FORUM-VI/12 INF).
Agenda item 9: Ecologically based Integrated Pest Management and Integrated Vector
Management: key elements of pesticide risk reduction strategies
There is strong and broad evidence that Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated
Vector Management (IVM) offer valid alternatives for conventional pest and vector control that tend to rely on use of pesticides. As such, these approaches can make substantial contributions to reduction in the use of pesticides and associated risks.
The purpose of the session at Forum VI is to support and encourage governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to strengthen the role of IPM and IVM in pesticide risk reduction strategies, while maintaining the potential for agricultural pest and vector-borne disease control. The overall objectives of the session are to:
- describe the key features of ecologically sound pest management through IPM and IVM;
- provide information on existing IPM and IVM programmes;
- provide information on various stakeholders, programmes and activities contributing to implementing best practices in IPM and IVM;
- describe case studies of successful implementation of IPM and IVM;
- identify opportunities and challenges for broader application of IPM and IVM;
- consider policy and institutional impediments and how these could be addressed;
- consider ways and means to strengthen inter-sectoral collaboration and regional and international cooperation.
A Thought Starter has been prepared to provide a basis for the discussion of this issue
(IFCS/FORUM-VI/04.TS).
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Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety
Sixth Session – Forum VI
15 – 19 September 2008
IFCS/Forum-VI/02w
July 2008
Agenda item 10: Any other business
The Forum may wish to consider other matters raised by participants in the course of the meeting.
Agenda item 11: Review of conclusions and recommendations
The participants will be invited to review and adopt the draft conclusions and recommendations of the Forum VI as prepared by the Rapporteur.
Agenda item 12: Adoption of the report of the meeting
The participants will be invited to consider and adopt the draft report of the Forum VI as prepared by the Rapporteur. Consistent with the practice followed by previous sessions of the
Forum, participants may agree that the section of the report pertaining to the results of the
Friday plenary (19 September 2008) will be prepared by the Rapporteur, in cooperation with the secretariat, and incorporated in the session report under the authority of the President of
Forum VI. The final report of the session will be circulated after the closure of the session
Agenda item 13: Closing of the Meeting
It is expected that Forum VI will be closed by the President by 18h00 on Friday, 19
September 2008.
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