International chemicals policy and the RSC’s work at the United Nations

Burlington Consensus 3: towards a UN science-policy panel on chemicals, waste & pollution prevention

Consensus was evident again at the international hybrid RSC Burlington Consensus 3 event in September 2024. All voices expressed how important it is for the development of impactful policy, that the world has a new United Nations intergovernmental science-policy panel for chemicals, waste and pollution prevention. This echoes UNEA Resolution 5/8 agreed in March 2022. Our scientific community urge UN member state governments to work to finalise the Foundational Document at the next Open-Ended Working Group 3.2 meeting and establish the panel in 2025. The full event can be viewed at Burlington Consensus 3 - Morning sessions and Burlington Consensus 3 - Afternoon sessions.

Second OEWG meeting held in Nairobi on 11-15 December, 2023

The second OEWG meeting was in Nairobi on 11-15 December, 2023. Topics of discussion included operating principles, scope and functions of the panel, conflict of interest procedures, and capacity building, with other issues added as they arose. We submitted a written statement on the topics discussed at this meeting. At the event, we also helped to coordinate the efforts of Science and Technology Major Group, of which we are a member.

Proposed Operating Principles for the United Nations Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and the Prevention of Pollution

In April 2023, The UNEP provided a background document that considered the options for operating principles based on discussions from OWEG1.2 and in reference to other relevant science-policy interfaces. The consultation asked participants to evaluate five categories of potential principles: credibility, relevance/salience, legitimacy, crosscutting themes, and other elements.

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), as a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) registered stakeholder, responded to this consultation in June 2023 following engagement with members of the ‘RSC SPP Engagement Group’, which comprises independent experts in the chemical sciences from all continents.

Full formal OEWG held on 30 January-4 February 2023

A full formal OEWG was held on 30 January-4 February 2023, to discuss governance procedures for the panel, function, scope and priorities for assessment. More information about the process can be found on the UNEP website. We were in attendance as an accredited UNEP stakeholder.

Burlington Consensus 2: A New UN Science-Policy Panel for Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention

Together with Defra, we held a follow-up meeting in December 2022, the Burlington Consensus 2. There will be a new science policy panel for chemicals, waste and pollution. The question is now about scope, priorities and how it will run. The dialogue continued with our members and international partners on how to incorporate scientific knowledge from all regions and the current issues of international importance that the panel could prioritise.

First open-ended working group (OEWG) meeting held in October

The first open-ended working group (OEWG) meeting was held in October, and established the OEWG Bureau and its rules of procedure.

Burlington Consensus: science and policy's call for a global panel on chemicals, waste and pollution

In January 2022, we jointly hosted the Burlington Consensus with Defra. This was a roundtable of policymakers, academia, regulators and industry. Defra Minister Jo Churchill provided the opening remarks and the outcomes of the discussions aided negotiations at UNEA 5.2 in March, where the resolution to establish the UN Science Policy Panel (SPP) was successfully adopted.