Chemicals Management Treaty Unfinished

At a weeklong meeting in Vienna that ended on Sept. 25, negotiators completed most, but not all, of a new international agreement on the management of chemicals. According to the UN Environment Program, one outstanding issue in the draft Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) is financing to help developing countries implement the accord. Other sticking points include whether adherence to SAICM is truly voluntary and whether the agreement should endorse precautionary approaches and the substitution of hazardous chemicals with less hazardous alternatives. The treaty is designed to guide countries, especially those with weak regulatory systems, in managing chemicals safely (C&EN, Sept. 19, page 27). SAICM is scheduled for adoption at the International Conference on Chemicals Management, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 4-6, 2006, and the Vienna meeting was the last round of official talks before the conference. UNEP says negotiators will meet informally in coming months and are expected to finalize SAICM in Dubai.