NATIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING FORTHE DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY FOR THE GLOBALLY HARMONISED SYSTEM OF CLASSIFICATION AND LABELLING OF CHEMICALS 1.BACKGROUND Beginning in 2005 – UNITAR is in a position to support a limited number of country–based projects to strengthen capacity and facilitate development of a National GHS Implementation Strategy. The Project will be executed by UNITAR, in the context of the UNITAR/ILO Global GHS Capacity Building Programme, with funding from the Government of Switzerland. The Project involves a number of training and capacity building activities to be undertaken in 3 Phases

2. GLOBAL HARMONIZATION SYSTEMS The GHS has the ultimate goal of ensuring that information on chemical Hazards (such as labels and Safety Data Sheets -SDS) is made available to workers and consumers in a harmonized and comprehensible format in countries around the World.

DEVELOPING CAPACITY FOR GHS IMPLEMENTATION GHS implementation is likely to pose a number of challenges in particular for countries which do not have a basic infrastructure for chemical hazard communication in place. Government for example will need to ensure that GHS compartible legislation and regulation is put in place for chemicals in transport, industrial chemicals, agricultural chemicals and consumer product chemicals.

Business and Trade will need to adjust existing approaches – or develop new capacity to ensure that GHS compartible labels and SDS are prepared and understood by end-users. Labour and Civil Society groups may be in a position to complement the efforts of government and business by contributing for example, to training and awareness raising programmes, or participating in monitoring and enforcement efforts.

4. PROJECT GOAL AND OBJECTIVES The overall goal of the National GHS Project is to strengthen Capacities to implement the GHS by the year It thus contributes both to the protection of human health and the environment from dangerous chemicals, and to facilitating the trade in chemicals between countries and their trading partners.

MORE SPECIFICALLY THE NATIONAL PROJECT WILL AIM AT ACHIEVING THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES FOR THE 4 SECTORS AFFECTED BY THE GHS. To raise awareness of and train decision- makers and relevant experts in all sectors about the GHS and its potential benefits for sustainable development. To initiate targeted action for GHS implementation based on a sound national GHS situation and gap analysis.

To facilitate drafting and endorsement of national GHS – implementing Legislation. To catalyze capacity development for GHS implementation in the private sector. To enable civil society/labour organizations to participate actively in GHS strategy development and implementation and To develop and ensure high-level endorsement of a strategic plan/Road Map for GHS Implementation by 2003.

5. KEY PROJECT PHASES AND ACITVITIES There are key project phases and activities to be undertaken over the approximate 20 months of project duration. The final details regarding activities time frames ad budgets have been discussed as part of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed between UNITAR and NEA.

5.1 NATIONAL PLANNING AND CO-ORDINATION The national GHS Implementation Committee is comprised of representatives of Departments of State and Stakeholder groups for the purpose of advising in matters of project implementation and drafting Laws/Regulations. The National Environment Agency is the designated Project co-ordinating Agency liaising the Technical and Administrative support unit called the Project support Unit (PSU).

A selected lead agency for each of the four sectors of transport, industrial production, agriculture and consumer products will be selected – perhaps representative or Two from each group to form the National Implementation Committee for the GHS. The Designated lead agencies, as well as the Industry and Civil Society partners, may act as chairs for Sectoral Sub-Committees working groups that you may find necessary to establish.

KEY QUESTIONS RELEVANT IN THIS CONTEXT INCLUDE FOR EXAMPLE THE FOLLOWING. What should be the membership of the GHS Implementation Committee? How often should it meet? Will any working groups need to be established

5.2 PHASE 1: PREPARATION OF A GHS SITUATION/GAP ANALYSIS AND COMPREHENSIBILITY TESTING GHS Situational and Gap Analysis. This requires the preparation of a situation analysis which describes the existing national chemical hazard communication infrastructure (e.g. Legal Technical and Administrative). The starting point should be a review of the national profile. That way, the information collected through the situation analysis will subsequently allow a determination of capacity gaps and areas that require strengthening for implementation of the GHS.

COMPREHENSIBILITY TESTING Comprehensibility refers to the ability of an individual reading a label, warning, or Safety data sheet to understand the information sufficiently to take the appropriate precautionary measure. It is a key tool for assessing the effectiveness of chemical hazard communication pictograms and/or key statements and provides important feed back for developing a chemical hazard communication system and targeted training.