The United Nations Environment Assembly,

Recalling the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg Plan of Implementation),3 internationally agreed goals, including environmental goals and objectives, the Millennium Development Goals and the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development entitled “The future we want”, endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 66/288, in particular the aim to achieve, by 2020, the sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle and of hazardous waste in ways that lead to the minimization of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment,

Considering that the sound management of chemicals and waste contributes significantly to the three dimensions of sustainable development,

Recalling section VIII, on the consultative process on financing options for chemicals and wastes, of Governing Council decision 27/12, and recalling also that sustainable and adequate long-term funding is a key element for the sound management of chemicals and waste, as expressed in paragraph 223 of the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development,

Welcoming the first joint meeting of the ordinary conferences of the parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, held in Geneva in 2013,

Recalling Governing Council decision 27/12, and having considered the progress report of the Executive Director on its implementation,

I

Continued strengthening of the sound management of chemicals and waste in the long term

1. Recognizes the continued relevance of the sound management of chemicals and waste beyond 2020;

2. Welcomes the report of the Executive Director on the outcome of the country-led consultative process on enhancing cooperation and coordination within the chemicals and waste cluster4 and the outcome document of the process, entitled “Strengthening the sound management of chemicals and wastes in the long term”, annexed to the present resolution (annex I);

3. Requests the Executive Director to forward, for information regarding policies and actions, the outcome document referred to in paragraph 2, to:

(a) The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals;

(b) The sixth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the Minamata Convention on Mercury;

(c) The second session of the Open-ended Working Group of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management and the fourth meeting of the International Conference on Chemicals Management;

(d) The conferences of the parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions;

(e) The Inter-Organization Coordinating Committee of the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals;

4. Emphasizes the importance of complying with existing international chemicals- and waste-related commitments through appropriate implementation at the national, regional and international levels

;

II

Integrated approach to financing sound management of chemicals and waste

5. Welcomes an integrated approach to address the financing of the sound management of chemicals and wastes, and underscores that the three components of an integrated approach, mainstreaming, industry involvement and dedicated external finance, are mutually reinforcing and are all important for the financing of the sound management of chemicals and waste at all levels;

6. Also welcomes the revision of the Instrument made by the Assembly of the Global Environment Facility so as to include a focal area on chemicals and waste, and the increase in resources allocated to chemicals and waste by the sixth replenishment;

7. Adopts the terms of reference for a special programme, annexed to the present resolution (annex II), to be funded by voluntary contributions, to support institutional strengthening at the national level to enhance the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management;

8. Requests the Executive Director, consistent with the terms of reference for the Special Programme, to establish and administer the Special Programme trust fund and to provide a secretariat to deliver administrative support to the Programme;

9. Requests the Executive Board of the Special Programme, in the light of the experience of the Programme and the lessons learned by recipient countries, to review the effectiveness of the operational arrangements for the Programme set out in its terms of reference and to provide a report on the review, to be considered by the United Nations Environment Assembly at its third session in 2018, with a view to its making adjustments, if necessary, to the operational arrangements for the Special Programme;

10. Further requests the Executive Director to submit the terms of reference for the Special Programme to the conferences of the parties of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the Open-ended Working Group of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management for their information;

11. Encourages Governments in a position to do so, as well as the private sector, including industry, foundations, other non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders, to mobilize financial resources for the effective establishment and quick start implementation of the Special Programme;

III

Sustainable development

12. Emphasizes that the sound management of chemicals and waste is an essential and integral cross-cutting element of sustainable development and is of great relevance to the sustainable development agenda; IV Mercury

13. Welcomes the adoption of the Minamata Convention on Mercury at the Conference of the Plenipotentiaries in Kumamoto, Japan, on 10 October 2013;

14. Requests the Executive Director to facilitate cooperation, as appropriate, between the interim secretariat of the Minamata Convention, the secretariats of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions and others, to make full use of relevant experience and expertise that may assist countries in joining the Convention, subject to the availability of resources for this purpose;

15. Notes with appreciation the decision of the conferences of the parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions to express interest and signal their readiness to cooperate and coordinate with the Minamata Convention, and the reciprocal resolution of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Minamata Convention on Mercury;

V

Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management

16. Welcomes the important contribution of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management in facilitating action by all relevant stakeholders towards the sound management of chemicals and waste;

17. Emphasizes the need for continued and strengthened multisectoral and multi-stakeholder involvement;

18. Also emphasizes the need for the continued strengthening of the Strategic Approach

19. Invites the Open-ended Working Group of the Strategic Approach at its second session and the International Conference on Chemicals Management at its fourth meeting to consider ways to improve the involvement and participation of all relevant stakeholders and thereby also enable efficient and effective responses to new and emerging issues and challenges;

20. Recalls the lead role of the United Nations Environment Programme in arranging for an effective and efficient secretariat for the Strategic Approach, and requests the Executive Director to continue to support the Strategic Approach, including in the development of orientation and guidance to implement the 2020 goal;

21. Invites the Director-General of the World Health Organization to assume a leading role in the Strategic Approach and to provide appropriate staff and other resources to its secretariat, and requests the Executive Director to forward this invitation to the next meeting of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization;

22.Invites members of the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals to consider ways to support the Strategic Approach secretariat, including possible staffing support;

23. Calls on Governments, intergovernmental organizations, industry, civil society and other Strategic Approach stakeholders to support the implementation and further development of the Strategic Approach;

24. Urges Governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, industry and others in a position to do so to make financial and in-kind contributions to the Strategic Approach, its secretariat and its implementation, including through the programme of work of the members of the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals;

VI

Lead and cadmium

25. Recognizes the significant risks to human health and the environment arising from releases of lead and cadmium into the environment;

26. Welcomes the upcoming third meeting of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint and the associated workshop focusing on the development of national legislation to phase out lead in paint, and requests the United Nations Environment Programme, in coordination with the World Health Organization, to continue to build capacity on lead paint through possible regional workshops;

27. Looks forward to the compilation of information on techniques for emission abatement and on the possibility of replacing lead and cadmium with less hazardous substances or techniques; VII Waste 28. Requests the Executive Director to consider the interlinkages between chemicals and waste policies in the global outlook on waste prevention, minimization and management, which is currently being developed;

VIII

Regional centres: mainstreaming and coordinated delivery

29. Acknowledges the role of the regional centres of the Basel and Stockholm conventions to support the implementation of those conventions and all relevant activities, as well as the role that they play in contributing to other chemicals- and waste-related instruments and in mainstreaming the sound management of chemicals and waste;

30. Invites parties to those conventions and other stakeholders, including parties to the Minamata Convention and Strategic Approach stakeholders, to consider ways to promote an effective and efficient network of regional centres to strengthen the regional delivery of technical assistance under the conventions to promote the sound management of chemicals and waste, sustainable development and the protection of human health and the environment;

31. Requests the Executive Director and invites the parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, the Global Environment Facility and other relevant international financial institutions, instruments and programmes, to consider opportunities for effective and efficient cooperation with the regional centres in implementing the regional sound management of chemicals and waste projects;

IX

32. Requests the Executive Director to submit a report on progress on the implementation of the present resolution to the United Nations Environment Assembly at its second session.