International Institutions

There are currently several international institutions working on chemicals policy issues. A short summary of each is provided below.

United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Chemicals Branch (UNEP Chemicals)

UNEP Chemicals, a non-regulatory division of UNEP based in Geneva Switzerland, has several global and regional chemicals assessment and policy initiatives, including:

The UNEP Mercury Program works to "facilitate and conduct technical assistance and capacity building activities to support the efforts of countries to take action on mercury pollution."
Regionally Based Assessment of Persistent Toxic Substances (PTS) "aims at making regional assessments of the damages and threats posed by Persistent Toxic Substances."
The UNEP Pollution Release and Transfer Register is a central location for collection and distribution of information about releases and transfers of toxic chemicals from industrial facilities into the environment.

UNEP Chemicals also coordinates implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent.

World Health Organization (WHO)

The World Health Organization (WHO) is involved in the health aspects of chemicals. See their Chemical safety page for more details.

The WHO also hosts a number of other chemical-related organizations:

The Inter-Organization Program for the sound management of chemicals (IOMC) which is "the pre-eminent mechanism for initiating, facilitating and coordinating international action to achieve the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2020 goal for sound management of chemicals."
The International Program on Chemical Safety (IPCS), which is "a joint Program of three Cooperating Organizations - International Labor Organization, UNEP and WHO, implementing activities related to chemical safety. WHO is the Executing Agency of the IPCS, whose main roles are to establish the scientific basis for safe use of chemicals, and to strengthen national capabilities and capacities for chemical safety."
The Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS), which is "A unique, over-arching mechanism to develop and promote strategies and partnerships among national governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations." Each country involved in IFCS should nominate a National Focal Point. At IFCS Forum VI, a decision was taken that IFCS will contribute to the overall strategic approach to enhanced international chemicals management by inviting the International Conference on Chemicals (ICCM) to decide to integrate the IFCS into the ICCM by establishing it as an ICCM advisory body. However, ICCM declined to take this decision at its second session in May 2009.

International Labour Organization (ILO)

The International Labour Organization focuses its work on worker health, see their Safe Work web site for more details.

United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

UNITAR runs a large number of capacity building programs on chemicals management - see their Chemicals and Waste Management Program web site for details.

OECD