Currently a lot of waste is being released into the air, the water, the soil, everywhere and it is polluting

everything. The biggest sources of pollution are industries.

Environment is no one’s property to destroy, it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect.

The world generates 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually

Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, strengthening the legal and institutional
frameworks for Sound Management of Chemicals

Extra points-

The world generates 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually,
with at least 33 percent of that—extremely conservatively—not managed
in an environmentally safe manner. Worldwide, waste generated per
person per day averages 0.74 kilogram but ranges widely, from 0.11 to
4.54 kilograms. Though they only account for 16 percent of the world’s
population, high-income countries generate about 34 percent, or 683
million tonnes, of the world’s waste.

When looking forward, global waste is expected to grow to 3.40 billion

tonnes by 2050, more than double population growth over the same
period. Overall, there is a positive correlation between waste
generation and income level.

Mun research

UN’s Project in south Africa

This project focuses on the management of Strategic Approach to International Chemicals

Management (SAICM) emerging contaminants in South Africa by assessing existing national
infrastructures and conducting a gap analysis on existing institutional capacity with the view to
identifying cost-effective and environmentally benign alternatives to these emerging contaminants.

Objectives The project will undertake the following measures to strengthen the legal and
institutional frameworks for Sound Management of Chemicals :
Assessing the existing national infrastructure and conducting a gap analysis on existing institutional
capacity on the management of SAICM emerging contaminants in South Africa

In addition, an analysis will be conducted to identify cost-effective, environmentally benign alternatives

to these emerging contaminants., These activities will be supported by strengthening regulatory
enforcement and compliance by training and capacity building programmes aimed at border and
customs officials at port of entries to detect illegal trade related to all chemical across the value chain.,

Mercury reducing

Many types of human activities have the potential to create mercury pollution. UN Environment is
working with governments and other stakeholders to reduce mercury pollution and its negative impacts.

Our Partnerships

UN Environment Programme works closely with governments, international organizations, industry, and
civil society organizations around the world to develop mainstream solutions for the sound
management of chemicals and waste. In doing so, we and our partners are focused on achieving the
goal of the World Summit on Sustainable Development: to ensure that, by 2020, chemicals are used and
produced in ways that lead to the minimization of significant adverse effects on human health and the
environment.

Working alongside our partners, we catalyse international action on sound chemicals and waste
management. We play a leading role in developing and supporting international chemicals and waste-
related agreements, and we spearhead global alliances that bring together business, governments and
civil society. We also work with national governments to help them develop regulatory frameworks and
other policy instruments on chemicals and waste, and we serve as a global clearinghouse for relevant
scientific and technical knowledge.

The Challenge

By 2025, the world’s cities will produce 2.2 billion tonnes of waste every year, more than three times the
amount produced in 2009. Countries continue to address challenges linked to air, soil and water
pollution and exposure to toxic chemicals under the auspices of multilateral environmental agreements.
But there is still much work to be done: From 2010 to 2014, only 57 per cent of the parties to the Basel
Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal had
provided the requested data and information. The figure was 71 per cent for the Rotterdam Convention
on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in
International Trade, and 51 per cent for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Chemicals and waste are integral to our everyday life, but they also have major impacts on the
environment and human health. As the world’s population approaches 8 billion, the sound management
of chemicals and waste is becoming ever more important.

Emerging issues

We work on global emerging priorities issues identified by governments on the environmentally sound
management of hazardous chemicals.

Environment, health and pollution

We address the important issues and linkages between Environment and Health within the organization
and with partner organizations and stakeholders.

Mercury

We aim to minimize the adverse effects of mercury.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

We protect human health and the environment from Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Policy and Governance

We work on important chemical related issues with special attention on specific deliverables in phase
under the Sustainable Development Goals.

Special Programme

We support institutional strengthening to help countries implement chemicals- and waste-related

international agreements.
A call for action Towards a Pollution-Free Planet

At the third session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA3), Ministers of the Environment
expressed their commitment to working towards a pollution-free planet for the health and well-being of
our people and the environment (UNEA3 ministerial declaration). As a follow-up, UNEP developed an
Implementation Plan "Towards a Pollution-Free Planet" which was welcome by the Environment
Assembly at its fourth session in March 2019 through resolution 4/21.

The Plan takes forward pollution-related UNEA outcomes; proposes action areas with opportunities and
solutions to address capacity gaps and challenges; and contributes to implementing the Sustainable
Development Goals.

UNEP is undertaking efforts towards implementation of the Plan by coordinating and monitoring its
delivery with inputs from Member States and other stakeholders, and by undertaking efforts within its
own programme of work. To know more about the Implementation Plan, visit the BeatPollution website.

UNEA3 also adopted a resolution on Environment and Health calling for collaborative action on
integrated environment and health methodologies, tools and policies, and on specific nexus areas such
as chemicals and waste, climate, biodiversity, antimicrobial resistance and sustainable consumption and
production.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic chemical substances that are recognized as a serious,
global threat to human health and to ecosystems.

In order to protect human health and the environment from POPs, UN Environment Chemicals and
Health Branch through a variety of activities, supports parties in the implementation of their obligations
under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions

UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Chemicals and Health Branch is leading UNEP’s activities on
chemicals and waste. The Branch is the main catalytic force in the UN system for concerted global action
on the environmentally sound management of chemicals and waste. As such, its programme of work
reflects global priorities identified by Governments and other stakeholders, including the mandates of
its governing body, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).
A number of reports on chemicals and waste management are being developed to be presented at the
5th session of UNEA. They cover topics which are emerging issues ranging from strengthening the
science-policy interface, to assessing linkages with other clusters, and assessing current issues of global
concern. Some reports bear a specific focus on the environmental and health impacts of pesticides and
fertilizers, the environmental impacts of antimicrobial resistance. Whereas others, such as the manuals
on green and sustainable chemistry, are setting the path for solutions