HCWH-SEA INVITES CSO TO SIGN CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT POLICY FOR COUNTRY’S HEALTH

January 15, 2009

Contact:
Sonia G. Astudillo, Communications Officer, +63 918 9182369, sonia@hcwh.org
Merci Ferrer, Executive Director, + 63 920 9056113, merci@hcwh.org

HCWH-SEA INVITES CSO TO SIGN CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT POLICY FOR COUNTRY’S HEALTH

In welcoming the new year, Health Care Without Harm-Southeast Asia (HCWH-SEA) invites civil society organizations (CSO) in the region to sign the Global Common Statement on Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM).

SAICM is a global policy and strategy adopted by government and stakeholders to protect human health and ecosystems from the harms caused by exposure to toxic chemical substances. In January 2008, the Global SAICM Outreach Campaign was launched to inform non-government organizations (NGOs) and CSOs about SAICM and encourage them to contribute in its implementation in their country.

“The target is to secure at least 1,000 NGO and CSO endorsements in at least 80 countries,” said Merci Ferrer, Executive Director of HCWH-SEA. HCWH is among the six international NGO networks collaborating in the global campaign. The other organizations are International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN), International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE), Pesticide Action Network (PAN), Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF), and World Federation of Public Health Associations.

“SAICM aims to change how chemicals are produced and used in order to minimize the harmful effects on human health and environment. By 2020 or even before that, we hope to achieve sound management of chemicals from its production up to its use,” said Ferrer.

“Civil Society Organizations, like HCWH-SEA, may take an active role in ensuring that their respective governments are true to the policies and strategies of SAICM,” Ferrer added.

“In a medical setting for one, everyday we see workers being exposed to toxic chemicals. The agriculture industry is still largely dependent to pesticides. And the presence of toxic substances in consumer products is continuously in the headlines,” she pointed out. “One of HCWH’s global efforts is to eliminate mercury, a known toxic chemical, in health care.”

She added, “these concerns have been raised as early as the 60s. Now, we again encourage CSOs and NGOs to take an even more active role and be the watchdog of their respective government.”

According to the paper An NGO Guide to SAICM: The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management by Jack Weinberg, “SAICM comes more than half a century after the rise of the chemical industry. By adopting SAICM, world society has formally recognized that injury to human health and the environment caused by exposure to toxic chemicals is a serious global problem, one whose solution requires urgent action and a holistic global approach.”

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) is a global coalition of more than 400 organizations in more than 50 countries working to protect health by reducing pollution in health care sector. For more information, visit www.noharm.org. (30)