Council Resolution: 08-06
Distribution: General
C/C.01/08/RES/06/FINAL
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
26 June 2008
Instruction to the Sound Management of Chemicals Working Group of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation to promote the sustained sound management of chemicals in North America
THE COUNCIL:
RECALLING Council Resolution 95-05 establishing the Sound Management of Chemicals Working Group and Council Resolution 06-09 advancing its work;
RECOGNIZING that the Commission for Environmental Cooperation through the Sound Management of Chemicals Working Group has generated notable achievements in the prevention of pollution and reduction of risk through cooperative actions;
ACKNOWLEDGING that regional cooperation facilitates and advances the sound management of chemicals and helps achieve risk reduction on current and emerging issues;
FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGING that the sound management of chemicals affects and improves the economies and environments of North America;
NOTING that Council Resolution 95-05 and Council Resolution 06-09 endorsed strengthening and integrating North American regional efforts to enhance the sound management of chemicals with other national, regional and global initiatives;
RECOGNIZING the need to further advance the sound management of chemicals of mutual concern in the North American region throughout their life cycles;
CONSIDERING that national and international developments regarding the management of dioxins, furans, and hexachlorobenzene have changed the need for the development of the North American Regional Action Plan (NARAP) on these chemicals, as called for in Council Resolution 99-01, and have created the need to develop a strategy for trilateral cooperation;
REAFFIRMING its commitment to active public involvement in the development and implementation of a North American sound management of chemicals initiative; and
NOTING that the Council Resolution 06-09 directed the Sound Management of Chemicals Working Group to report to Council on its renewed direction no later than the 2008 Council session;
HEREBY:
DIRECTS the Sound Management of Chemicals Working Group, as constituted under Council Resolution 95-05, to continue the promotion and development of effective strategies for catalyzing cooperation, as described in Council Resolution 06-09, through the effective implementation of a renewed North American agenda for chemicals management, which is to involve the following:
- Establish a foundation for chemicals management in North America; to increase comparability of chemical management approaches across North America, with special emphasis on assisting Mexico to build capacity in the sound management of chemicals at the national level. An early initiative in this area is to involve supporting Mexico’s efforts to develop an inventory of industrial chemicals.
- Develop and implement a sustainable regional approach for environmental and human biomonitoring and assessment to enhance North American monitoring capacity, with an early emphasis on supporting Mexico in the initial stages of implementation of its Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (Programa de Monitoreo y Evaluación Ambiental– Proname).
- Reduce or eliminate the risk from chemicals of mutual concern in North America, as identified by the Sound Management of Chemicals Working Group.
- Improve environmental performance of sectors to reduce the risks from toxic chemicals in North America by working strategically with key industrial sectors.
FURTHER DIRECTS the Sound Management of Chemicals Working Group to prioritize the development of a strategy, rather than a NARAP, for catalyzing cooperation on dioxins, furans, and hexachlorobenzene, consistent with the new direction of its program, over the NARAP development called for in Council Resolution 99-01, while bearing in mind existing relevant national programs and international commitments; and
REQUESTS the Sound Management of Chemicals Working Group to report in 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2019 on progress under this and, as appropriate, other relevant Council Resolutions.
APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL:
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John Baird
Government of Canada
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Juan Elvira Quesada
Government of the United Mexican States
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Stephen L. Johnson
Government of the United States of America
Instruction to the Sound Management of Chemicals Working Group of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation to promote the sustained sound management of chemicals in North America