Brussels, 08/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - During the night of Monday into Tuesday, in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), where a series of conferences under the auspices of the United Nations have been going on from 4 to 9 February, Environment Ministers and High Representatives of more than 180 countries signed a declaration promoting the sound management of chemical products. This is the first international agreement on the management of chemical products in general, and not just specific groups of substances.
The EU is part of this Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) guaranteeing that chemical substances will be produced and used in ways that lead to a minimisation of the significant adverse effects on human health and on the environment, and in the interests of sustainable development, and warmly welcomes this step forward. Josef Pröll, Austrian Environment Minister and President of the Council of the EU, welcomed this agreement as a milestone in global environmental action. “There is a clear commitment to the precautionary principle. We don't need to see a tragedy happen to put safety systems in place,” he stressed. Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas added, “In 2002 we promised to minimise the adverse effects of chemicals all over the world by 2020. In Dubai we have written the roadmap and made a common commitment to take action and monitor progress over the next 14 years”.
The Environmental conferences being held in Dubai seek to move forward the debate on sustainable global development and to consider management of chemical substances, energy, eco-tourism and international environmental governance. “We must find common language on future energy policies, so they respond to development needs and to the climate change threat'” said Commissioner Dimas.
Events in Dubai will culminate with the Global Ministerial Environmental Forum from 7-9 February, to serve as an extraordinary session of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).