Health Care Without Harm has prepared this position statement on the importance of the successor agreement to the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), its contribution to the sound management of chemicals and waste, the importance of health to chemical safety, and the role that the health sector plays in SAICM. The SAICM forum is critical to the health sector because it is the only multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder process that brings together health care providers, environmental advocates, labor unions, and other stakeholders, and allows civil society to speak with an equal voice. Because toxic chemicals endanger human health, we believe the health sector must be more deeply engaged in policy development and implementation on the sound management of chemicals, both within the sector and as a strong voice advocating for action in all sectors.
