UNEP’s portfolio on Safer Production

Ruth CouttoProgramme Officer, Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch

Meeting between UNEP and MEP, 4 November 2010, UNEP DTIE Paris Office

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UNEP - DTIE

• Promotes the development / implementation of policies, strategies and practices that are:– cleaner and safer– make efficient use of natural resources– ensure environmentally sound management of

chemicals– reduce pollution and risks for humans and the

environment

• Establishes partnerships with:– other international organizations, governmental

authorities, business and industry, and nongovernmental organizations

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SCP – Sustainable Production and Consumption Branch

• Divided in 4 units:– Business and industry– Integrated resources management– Goods and services – Sustainable UN (SUN)

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• Business and Industry Unit:– Resource Efficiency and Cleaner

Production– Safer Production (including APELL)– Business and Partnerships

UNEP portfolio on Safer Production4

• APELL Programme– Awareness and Preparedness for

Emergencies at Local Level • Responsible Production

– Responsible Production Handbook for SMEs• Flexible Framework for Chemical Accident

Prevention and Preparedness– Aims at providing guidance for

governments wishing to develop, review, strengthen or improve their chemical accident prevention and preparedness programme

What is APELL?

• APELL stands for Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at Local Level

• It was launched in 1986 by UNEP as a Programme to raise awareness of local communities that live close to industrial activities on how to react if an accident happens.

• It is a multi-stakeholder dialogue tool that establishes adequate coordination and communication in situations where the public might be affected by accidents and disasters.

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IDENTIFY PARTICIPANTS AND DEFINE THEIR ROLESIDENTIFY PARTICIPANTS AND DEFINE THEIR ROLES

EVALUATE AND REDUCE RISKSEVALUATE AND REDUCE RISKS

REVIEW EXISTING PLANS AND IDENTIFY WEAKNESSESREVIEW EXISTING PLANS AND IDENTIFY WEAKNESSES

TASK IDENTIFICATION TASK IDENTIFICATION

MATCH TASKS AND RESOURCESMATCH TASKS AND RESOURCES

INTEGRATE INDIVIDUAL PLANS INTO OVERALL PLAN AND REACH AGREEMENT

INTEGRATE INDIVIDUAL PLANS INTO OVERALL PLAN AND REACH AGREEMENT

DRAFT FINAL PLAN AND OBTAIN ENDORSEMENTDRAFT FINAL PLAN AND OBTAIN ENDORSEMENT

COMMUNICATION AND TRAININGCOMMUNICATION AND TRAINING

COMMUNITY EDUCATIONCOMMUNITY EDUCATION

TESTING, REVIEWING AND UPDATING

TESTING, REVIEWING AND UPDATING

APELL 10-STEP PROCEDURE

APELL in different sectors

• APELL for Chemical/ Industrial Accidents

• TransAPELL (APELL in Transport sector)

• APELL for Port Areas• APELL for Mining• APELL for Coastal

Tourism Destinations• APELL for multi-

hazards

Project DOW/UNEP/MEP APELL - China• Since 2009 – APELL pilot project in Zhangjiagang, in cooperation

with DOW and MEP – DOW contribution US$ 580,000• UNEP expert seminar on accident prevention and preparedness

and lessons learned from accidents - Beijing, 2-3 March 2009• APELL training workshops, Zhangjiagang, 20-21 August 2009 and

26-28 April 2010• Study visit: meeting s with US EPA and site visit to DOW facility -

Freeport, Texas, 1-4 March 2010• Multi-stakeholder emergency drill in Zhangjiagang: 10 Sept. 2010• National dissemination workshop in Beidaihe: 13-14 Sept. 2010

APELL – next steps

• Regional meeting of the Latin American APELL network: 29-30 Nov. 2010 in Buenos Aires Argentina

• Continue to seek partnerships for APELL promotion• Continue to explore opportunities for cooperation with the

Ministry of Environmental Protection of China (MEP), US Environmental protection Agency (USEPA), the National Safety Council (India), the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), Tsinghua University (Beijing), University of Concepcion (Chile) and University of Bahia Blanca (Argentina) on APELL projects and promotion

• Find additional financial support for capacity building/training activities at country level on APELL related topics

– POW 2010-2011– 7 countries (China, India, Philippines, Thailand, Argentina,

Chile and Peru) + APELL 25th anniversary event in 2011

What is Responsible Production?11

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• It is a systematic and continuous improvement approach aimed at SMEs for :– Chemical safety along the value-chain;– Understanding hazards;– Controlling chemical exposure;– Reducing accident risks;– Engaging stakeholders; and– Promoting chemical product stewardship through risk

communication aimed at preventing exposure and accidents with hazardous substances along the value chain.

• Aligned with he chemical industry’s Global Product Strategy (GPS)

Responsible Production products

• Toolkit• Training Package• Booklet with case-studies and indicators• Chinese version developed by China CPC and

Tsinghua University

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Next Steps

• We will be promoting the approach in 2010-11 in other locations in Asia (China, India, Vietnam, Philippines), Latin America (Brazil and Mexico), and Africa (South Africa and Egypt)

• We have all materials translated in Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, French, Spanish, Arabic and Portuguese

• Agreements for implementation are being discussed (Brazil, Vietnam, and the Philippines)

• Web resources can be found at: www.unep.fr/scp/sp

• China – UNEP would like to develop a knowledge sharing platform to further promote the approach

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Flexible FrameworkChemical Accident Prevention and

Preparedness

• At the end of 2007 UNEP-DTIE established a new initiative to promote the development of a Flexible Framework for addressing Chemical Accidents prevention and preparedness.

• UNEP established an Expert Working Group (EWG) to develop supporting material

• In 2008 and 2009 UNEP through the EWG developed a draft guidance that was further piloted in Cambodia and Philippines

• In 2010 UNEP published the Guidance for Governments as an IOMC document

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Expert Working Group • UNEP• ILO • UNECE • UNIDO• WHO• UNITAR• UNEP/OCHA – JEU• EC (DG Environment)• EC - JRC – MAHB• OECD WGCA• US-EPA• Swedish Civil

Contingencies Agency• CYTED• ADPC

Expert Working Group met 5 times1. November 2007 2. February 20083. June 20084. March 20095. October 2009 (established a sub-

group to develop the ISP)1. April 2010 (only the sub-group)

6. October 2010 (back-to-back with the sub-group)

• Experts• Countries (Thailand/The

Netherlands)• ICCA

Guidance Document

• It describes the steps that are needed before developing and implementing laws, regulations, policies, guidance or other instruments which would make up an effective chemical accidents programme

• It sets out the possible elements of such instruments

• It provides resource materials related to how these elements may be implemented, based on international initiatives and the experience of countries that have had chemical accident programmes in place for a number of years.

1. Scope • Information related to the definition of types of industries, facilities, and/or substances covered by a chemical accident prevention and preparedness programme is provided.

Role of Competent Authorities (Government – Environmental Ministry, Agency of Department)

2. Information management • Under the “Role of Competent Authorities”, information is provided in relation to activities generally carried out by identified government bodies. 3. Inspections

4. Off-site Preparedness Planning

5. Siting and Land-Use Planning

Requirements of Industry

6. General duty Clause • Under the “Requirements of Industry”, types of requirements generally imposed on industry or undertaken by industry to meet a general obligation to operate their installations safely are specified.

7. Notification

8. Prevention Policy

9. Hazard Identification and Risk Assess.

10. Safety Reports

11. Preparedness Planning

Information to the Public

12. Information to the Public • This section describes the types of information that should be provided to those potentially affected in an accident.

Accident Reporting, Investigation and Follow-up

13. Accident Reporting • This section provides information on accident reporting and investigations for lessons learned

Elements of a chemical accident prevention and preparedness programme

Guidance Document - flexibility

• The overall Guidance has been designed to be flexible to ensure that: – the Guidance can be applied in different national contexts

worldwide; – countries can focus on elements relevant to their particular

context and adapt them as required; and – countries can decide how to define actions, depending on

priorities, resources and experience.

Status of the initiative

• Guidance document is published and is being translated into Chinese, Spanish and French

• Developing of an Implementation Support Package• Two countries have already implemented the guidance

(with emphasis on the assessment phase) – Cambodia and Philippines and will engage on a second phase

• Two countries have been granted QSP funds for implementation – Mali and Senegal and will start implementation in 2010 – launching workshops planned for November 2010

• Sri Lanka and Tanzania are applying for QSP funds (October 2010 – final decision)

• China and possibly Thailand/Indonesia/Vietnam will be the next countries – pending funding

Status of the initiative

• Continue to support country projects Cambodia and Philippines, Sri Lanka, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and possibly China, Indonesia/Thailand

• Organize a regional workshop in Latin America (Argentina/Chile) for promotion of the approach (back to back with an APELL regional meeting) – December 2010

• Organize a regional event in China (end of 2011) for promotion of the approach (possibly in Renmin University)

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Ruth CouttoDivision of Technology, Industry and Economics 15, rue de Milan, 75441 Paris Cedex 09, FranceTel : +33 (0) 1 4437 1634 Fax : +33 (0) 1 4437 1474 E-mail : ruth.coutto@unep.orgWeb: www.unep.fr