UN General Assembly should adopt chemicals resolutions, says Germany

A global ministerial declaration on managing chemicals and waste safely after 2020 should be adopted by the UN's General Assembly, in order to push the agenda to the "highest level of political authority", according to a paper published by the German environment agency (UBA). The UBA’s recommendation is part of a paper submitted ahead of a meeting in Bangkok, Thailand on 1-4 October to discuss whether the UN's Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (Saicm) programme should be extended after its mandate ends next year – or changed or replaced with an alternative framework. At the fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) in Bonn, Germany next October, the meeting is expected to adopt a resolution on a post-2020 framework for chemicals and waste. In preparation for this, the UBA’s paper suggests ways to elevate the agenda within the UN.  It says the "logical forum" to review and progress resolutions set under the ministerial declaration and a beyond-2020 framework, is the UN’s High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).