UNEP’s project on Endocrine Disrupting

Chemical (EDCs) for 2015–2019:

Provision of Information on EDCs

Geneva, 25 September2015Third Meeting of the EDC Advisory Group for UNEP

Chemicals and Waste Branch Division of Trade, Industry, and Economics

United Nations Environment Programme

ICCM 3• At its third session in 2012, the International Conference

on Chemicals Management agreed on EDCs as an

emerging policy issue and adopted a resolution calling

for cooperative actions

to provide up-to-date information and scientific expert advice to

relevant stakeholders; raise awareness and facilitate science-

based information exchange; provide international support for

activities to build capacity to support decision-making (including

the prioritization of actions to reduce risks), and facilitate mutual

support in research, the development of case studies and advice

on translation of research results into control actions.

• UNEP, WHO and OECD together developed a joint

workplan, with UNEP’s focus on the environmental

exposure and impact of EDCs.

UNEP’s Past Activities

• In 2013, UNEP and WHO together published “State of the Science

of EDCs – 2012” and accompany “Summary for Decision

Makers”.

• In 2013–2014, UNEP organized four

regional awareness raising workshops,

in collaboration with WHO and OECD,

back-to-back with the SAICM Regional

Meetings.

• These workshops highlighted the lack of

specific knowledge on EDCs and the

need of cooperative actions among

sectors in the regions.

Regional Resolutions

At the SAICM Regional Meetings in the Africa, Asian and

Pacific, and Latin America and Caribbean regions,

regional resolutions on EDCs were adopted,

respectively.

invite UNEP and WHO to develop a report on EDCs in each

region with regional input that is targeted to the situation and

needs of developing countries and countries with

economies in transition;

recommend a robust series of awareness raising activities

on EDCs to take place in respective regional languages;

recommend a set of case studies in five topics;

encourage all stakeholders to provide all available data using

the Strategic Approach clearinghouse on the endocrine

disrupting properties of all substances in commerce.

UNEP’s Current Activities

UNEP is further working on

• translation and dissemination of the Summary for Decision Makers,

• further development of its website to give an overview of most

relevant scientific and regulatory information on EDCs, and

• development of awareness raising materials.

UNEP’s Project in 2015–2019

• In October 2014, UNEP management approved the

project preparation phase for a project on EDCs in 2015–

2019 under its Chemicals and Waste Subprogramme.

• A full project document (ProDoc) was developed between

October 2014 and April 2015. It was revised based on

comments from internal and external experts, including

regional Chemicals and Waste coordinators and relevant

stakeholder groups, between April and July 2015.

• The final ProDoc was approved by UNEP management

and started to be implemented in August 2015.

Elements of the ProDoc

• Problem tree & objective tree

• Theory of Change

• Project outcomes

• Project outputs

• Project implementation plan

Problem Tree

Objective Tree

Theory of Change

Project Outcomes

This project has two implementation phases with one

project outcome targeted for each phase:

• For 2015–2017: [i] increase and improve

intergovernmental and intersectoral

understanding, coordination and cooperation as

well as awareness in developing and transition

countries.

• For 2018–2019: [ii] increase and improve technical

capacities in developing and transition countries in

addressing EDCs.

Expected Accomplishment

It will contribute to the achievement of the following

Expected Accomplishment within UNEP’s Programme of

Work:

“Countries increasingly have the necessary institutional

capacity and policy instruments to manage chemicals and

waste soundly including the implementation of related

provisions in the Multilateral Environmental Agreements”

Project Outputs (1)

For the current implementation phase:

1.Compile and disseminate overview reports that focus on

existing scientific knowledge of environmental exposure

and impact, legislation, measures and gaps regarding

known and selected potential EDCs, including information

from developing and transition countries;

2.Generate and disseminate situation and gap analysis

reports on the state-of-the-art methodologies and tools

for assessing the environmental hazards and risks as well

as the environmental exposure of EDCs based on relevant

expert workshops;

Project Outputs (2)

3. Facilitate annual international meetings, where

relevant actors meet for exchanging information on

past and ongoing actions and discussing about future

actions to address specific emerging issues;

4. Support the design of generic awareness raising

materials and the rolling out of region-specific

awareness raising campaigns;

5. Support selected developing and transition countries to

draft GEF project proposals on appropriate

assessment and management of EDCs.

Project Implementation Arrangements

Acknowledgement

• The Government of Denmark is gratefully

acknowledged for its generous financial support

of the project preparation.

• The Governments of Denmark, Norway and

Sweden are gratefully acknowledged for their

generous financial support for the future project

activities

For more informationPlease contact risks@chemicals.unep.orgTelephone: + 41 22 917 88 65

Chemicals Branch Division of Technology, Industry and EconomicsUNEPInternational Environment House 111-13 Chemin des AnémonesCH 1219 ChâtelaineGeneva, Switzerland

Thank you for your attention!