The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Chemical Dialogue was held from March 1 to 4 in Hiroshima City.On March 1 and 2, the "Case Study Workshop on the Chemicals Sector - From Principles to Practice" was held, and about 100 delegates from the governments and industries of APEC economies and from international organizations including the Organization for Economic Development(OECD) and the World Health Organization (WHO) participated in this to share information and exchange their views. In the morning session of March 1, the opening speech was made by Ms. Barbara Norton, Chemical Dialogue Co-Chair and Deputy Assistant to the US Trade Representative, and the keynote address was made by Mr. Hiroshi Fukushima, Director of the Chemical Management Policy Division, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). After that, Mr. T. Nishide, Director General of Japan Chemical Industry Association (JCIA) gave a presentation entitled “Chemical Industry’s Upcoming Approaches to Chemicals Management,” in which he explained about ICCA initiatives and Global Product Strategy (GPS) towards the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) as Principles. He also referred to two successful cases of capacity building conducted with the active involvement of Japan as Good Practice. The first was conducted in Bangkok, Thailand (March 2009) and the second in Tokyo, Japan (October 2009). Following this, reports on the situation regarding chemicals management were made by APEC economies including Japan, China, Korea, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Chile. METI explained the background and details of Japan's Newly Amended Chemical Substances Control Law.
 
 In the morning session of March 2, Australia and China gave presentations on chemicals management and best practices regarding the implementation of a Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). Next, Dr. F. Shono, General Manager of JCIA's Chemicals Management Department, gave a presentation entitled “Framework for Information Gathering & Sharing and Base set Information & Risk Characterization.” In this presentation, he described a new initiative for chemicals management called the "Japan Initiative of Product Stewardship (JIPS)," which Japan has implemented as a GPS activity designed to achieve the goals for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) 2020. In the afternoon session, an OECD delegates presented economic and industrial case studies and gave an explanation on the use of OECD tools for the Assessment of Industrial Chemicals, after which Singapore presented a report on the progress being made with regard to Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and the Mutual Acceptance of Data (MAD) Agreement. Following this, WHO delegates explained its Risk Assessment Toolkit. Finally, a panel discussion on capacity building was held by regulators from Canada and Indonesia, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), JCIA, and the Inter-Governmental Organization (IGO) to exchange views on a framework for further implementation of GPS in APEC economies. Throughout the whole workshop, there was an active exchange of views based on the standpoint of regulators and industry, yielding productive results in terms of information sharing and furthering mutual understanding. It was agreed that the US would lead a project involving “Train-the-trainers” seminars with a view to developing experts.
 
 On March 3 and 4, the Chemical Dialogue Steering Group Meeting was held and the following items were discussed: a) GHS Implementation; b) Regulatory Best Practices for Chemicals Management; c) Implementation of REACH and other Regulatory Schemes Affecting the Chemicals Sector; d) Trade and Investment Liberalization and Facilitation, including Simplification and Harmonization of the Chemicals Rules of Origin; and e) The Strategic Role of the Chemical Sector.During the discussion concerning c), Dr. F. Shono of the JCIA gave a presentation entitled “Implementation of REACH and Other Regulatory Schemes Affecting the Chemical Sector.” He explained the situation regarding the industry's current response to these schemes, and pointed out the issue concerning supply-chain communication with regard to the protection of confidential business information (CBI）and intellectual property rights (IPR). He also noted the issue regarding notification of mixture components without volume thresholds. It was acknowledged that these issues were important, and that they needed to be discussed further at the next meeting. Following this, China, Korea, Australia, and Thailand presented a report on their approach to GHS in their respective countries, and this was followed by a vigorous question-and-answer session.During the discussion concerning e), the Asia Pacific Chemical Industry Coalition (APCIC) made a proposal for the APEC Chemical Strategic Framework 2010-2012 (Thought Starter), which focuses on (1) Expanding and Supporting Cooperation among Chemical Regulators in the Region (2) Enhancing Understanding of the Chemical Industry’s Role as a Solutions Industry, and (3) Encouraging Chemical Product Stewardship and Safe Use (Sustainability). Comments were made acknowledging the fact that the Chemical Dialogue could leverage the GHS, regulatory best practices, Regulators Forum work, and interaction with IGOs in terms of contributing to the international chemicals agenda. It was also commented that a strategic framework could provide a vehicle for achieving objectives, demonstrating the value of industry to the economy, and promoting the sustainable use of chemicals. A consensus was reached to proceed with identifying where the appropriate use of chemical products would help address energy efficiency, and to study how to leverage the work of the ICCA regarding a life cycle analysis for chemical products in that regard. The strategic framework is to be completed as a goal by the next meeting.
 
 The next APEC Chemical Dialogue Steering Group Meeting will be held in Sendai in September 2010.
 
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