WE, THE MINISTERS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union;
HAVING REGARD to the goal articulated by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in paragraph 23 of the 2002 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, to achieve, by 2020, the use and production of chemicals in ways that lead to the minimisation of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment;
HAVING REGARD to the 2006 Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) adopted at the First International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM1), and its objectives contained in the Overarching Policy Strategy referenced in the Dubai Declaration on International Chemicals Management;
RECOGNISING that the 2020 goal for sound management of chemicals was not achieved;
RECALLING the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda target 12.4 to "By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water, and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment";
HAVING REGARD to the Resolution of the Council on Implementation of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) which was adopted by Council on 28 March 2008 [ C(2008)32 ] and welcomed at the Environment Ministerial meeting on the 28-29 April 2008 at the OECD Headquarters;
HAVING REGARD to the standards and tools developed by the OECD related to the management of the risks associated with chemicals and pesticides; as well as its role as a forum for sharing information, knowledge and experience on these issues;
CONSIDERING the planetary and interrelated crises of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss and the need to address them in a comprehensive and integrated manner;
RECOGNISING the critical role of sound management of chemicals and wastes in addressing these planetary crises, including through its contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on 25 September 2015 [ A/RES/70/1 ] and to the achievement of the climate objectives of the Paris Agreement and the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework;
NOTING United Nations General Assembly Resolution 76/300 of 28 July 2022 on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and its importance for the promotion of human well-being and the full enjoyment of all human rights ;
RECOGNISING that pollution from chemicals can transcend national and regional boundaries;
MINDFUL that the production of chemicals is expected to increase significantly, that the global value chain is putting strains on the efficiency of national approaches for the sound management of chemicals and that concerted action is needed to address these strains and ensure that new chemicals management systems do not lead to duplicative testing and assessments or to new non-tariff trade barriers;
RECOGNISING the need for increased co-operation and coordinated efforts at an international level, including through and between international organisations to achieve the sound management of chemicals and the pivotal role of the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC) in this regard;
CONSIDERING the adoption of the Global Framework on Chemicals – For a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste (GFC) and the Bonn Declaration for a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste at the Fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5) in Bonn, Germany on 25-29 September 2023; and the call to international organisations to support the implementation of the GFC as appropriate;
RECOGNISING the GFC vision of a planet free of harm from chemicals and waste for a safe, healthy and sustainable future, its strategic objectives and targets, and the unique multisectoral and multi‑stakeholder approach upon which it is based;
CONSIDERING that the references to “chemicals and waste” and “chemicals throughout their life cycle” in the Declaration are fully aligned with the scope of the GFC which “covers the life cycle of chemicals, including products and waste” (see section III, para. 8, including footnote 6 of the GFC).
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WE ARE COMMITTED to strengthen the sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle in line with the vision, strategic objectives and targets of the GFC;
WE REAFFIRM the need to:
● Set-up, implement and enforce robust and comprehensive national chemical management systems and to take national actions to achieve this collective goal;
● Strengthen international and multisectoral co-operation, coordination and collaboration across countries as well as international organisations and in the context of multilateral environmental agreements for the successful global management of chemicals, including through exchange of information and experience;
● Collaboratively improve the generation of knowledge, data and information on chemicals and make them available and accessible to enable informed decision-making and action;
WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE industry stakeholders across global value chains to ensure safe and sustainable management of chemicals throughout their life-cycle by developing and implementing safer, innovative and sustainable solutions;
WE REITERATE our support to the important role of the OECD in facilitating efforts towards the sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle and across supply chains, including by supporting the development and enhancement of national legal frameworks, institutional mechanisms and capacities for chemicals management;
WE CALL on the OECD, through its Chemicals and Biotechnology Committee, in consultation with other relevant OECD policy communities, to:
● Continue its on-going activities as an integral part of contributing to meeting the strategic objectives and targets of the GFC, including by developing, supporting implementation and updating OECD standards and tools, in particular in the area of risk assessment and management of chemicals, and ensure outputs are as accessible, gender-responsive, relevant and useful as possible for all relevant stakeholders;
● Serve as a forum for collaboration on chemical safety policy through the exchange of information, experience and capacity building, in particular in the context of the GFC strategic objectives, including addressing issues of concern and supporting the uptake of safer alternatives and innovative and sustainable solutions;
● Assist in the development and act as a custodian of certain indicators in relation to chemicals management and support efforts in view of mainstreaming chemicals management and pollution prevention into other sectors and policies;
● Pursue its efforts to enhance actions and collaborate with other international organisations in the context of the Inter-Organisation Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC) to support the implementation of the GFC.