Focus

International Environmental Legislation

In the framework of the Agreement between the Italian Ministry for the environment, land and sea - Department for Environmental Research and Development and the Institute of Atmospheric Pollution (IIA) - National Research Council, the IIA assists the Ministry to coordinate the Italian participation to the EU activities and programs and to the international negotiations (UNEP and UNECE). At regional level, the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) represents since 1979 the first international legally binding instrument that has addressed some of the major environmental problems of air pollution through the development of international environmental law.
The Convention has been extended by eight protocols that identify specific measures to be taken by Parties.
In 2010 the Institute of Atmospheric Pollution (IIA) has attended to the following meetings:
o EMEP Steering Body, 1- 3 March, Geneva;
o Working Group on Strategies and Review 12-15, April, Geneva;
o Task Force on POPs, 18-20 May, Montreal;
o Task Force on Heavy Metals, 1-2 June, Stockholm;
o Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution, 14-16 June, Brussels;
o Working Group on Strategies and Review, 30 August -3 September, Geneva;
o EMEP Steering Body, 13-15 September, Geneva;
o Executive Body for the Convention, 13-17, December, Geneva.
At global level, the designated authority of the United Nations system in environmental issues is the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Under the UNEP, four important multilateral environmental agreements on chemicals have been adopted: Stockholm Convention, UNEP Mercury Programme, Rotterdam Convention and Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM).
The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants. In 2009 the Institute of Atmospheric Pollution (IIA) has attended to the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties included a high-level segment on 7 and 8 May 2009. The theme of the segment was "Meeting the challenges of a POPs-free future". During 2010 the IIA has followed the working documents for the Fifth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention that will be from 25 to 29 April 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. Under the theme, "Stockholm at 10: Chemical Challenges, Sustainable Solutions", the conference marked the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention in May 2001.
The UNEP Mercury Programme to warrant further international action to reduce the risks to humans and wildlife from the release of mercury to the environment.
The Open-ended Working Group on mercury, established by UNEP GC, is involved in the review and assessment of options for enhanced voluntary measures and new or existing international legal instruments to address the global challenges posed by mercury pollution and to protect further on human health and the environment from exposure to mercury.
In 2010 the IIA has attended to the first Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for launching negotiations for a legally binding instrument covering most aspects of the mercury life cycle to be completed by 2013. The INC met for the first time in Stockholm from 7th to 11th June 2010.
In the 2006 it has been adopted by the UNEP International Conference on Chemicals Management a voluntary Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), with the aim to create a policy framework to foster the sound management of chemicals.
Adopted by the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) on 6 February 2006 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) is a policy framework to foster the sound management of chemicals.
SAICM was developed by a multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral Preparatory Committee and supports the achievement of the goal agreed at the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development of ensuring that, by the year 2020, chemicals are produced and used in ways that minimize significant adverse impacts on the environment and human health.
Following the 2° international Conference on chemicals management held in Geneva, 11 - 15 may 2009, the IIA, in 2010, has contributed to the evaluation of the emerging policy issues to adopt possible sectoral measures in the 3° International Conference on chemicals management in