Towards Safer Chemicals Management

Carlos is a chemical monitoring officer in the Chemicals Monitoring Unit of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of El Salvador. His unit focuses on the performance of administrative functions required under the implementation of international conventions related to environmentally sound management of hazardous chemicals and waste, such as the Rotterdam, Basel and Stockholm conventions, to name a few. His unit started working with UNITAR chemicals and waste management programme for the first time in 2023 to implement a globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS) in the country. Today, El Salvador has a decree for the implementation of the GHS as a tool for establishing a common and coherent basis for the communication of chemical hazards. 

Despite previously having strong legislation on environment and prevention of workplace hazards, which dictates the classification and labelling of certain chemicals, El Salvador faced a critical challenge: the lack of a standardized system for labeling and classifying chemicals according to their environmental, physical and health hazards. While the labelling and development of chemical safety data sheets as tools for hazard communication are covered by national legislation, the lack of a system coherent with international practices for the classification of chemicals could be generating significant differences in the communication of hazards for the same product. Recognizing the increased global trade in chemicals and the need to strengthen national capacities to ensure their safe use, transport and storage, an internationally harmonized approach to classification and labelling was needed to strengthen the control of exposure to these products and protect people and the environment, which further encouraged the initiative to work in this direction. 

As part of a broader initiative under the Intergovernmental Network on Chemicals and Waste for Latin America and the Caribbean, supported by UNEP, and the Basel and Stockholm Conventions Regional Centre located in Panama, serving Central America and the Dominican Republic, and UNITAR, the country developed its first national strategy for implementing the GHS, which resulted in an action plan for its implementation. It was at this time that UNITAR began to work with the Ministry of the Environment, in coordination with other government institutions with competence in chemicals management, on the implementation of the new strategy. 

In early 2024, a new project with UNITAR started in El Salvador. UNITAR’s activities were multifaceted, encompassing project support, technical expertise (advisory services) from international experts, and training activities. UNITAR's experts worked closely with El Salvador's Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, providing invaluable guidance on the drafting of a legal instrument for the implementation of the GHS. According to Carlos, one of the key contributions of UNITAR was the technical expertise provided during the development of an action plan for the national strategy. This plan outlined specific steps for adopting the GHS, including the identification of relevant institutions and applicable legal frameworks. UNITAR experts provided technical opinions and reviewed key documents, ensuring that the proposed legal instruments were effective and aligned with international standards.  

Besides the advisory services provided, UNITAR supported the organization of workshops and events to raise awareness for the various actors involved in the implementation of the GHS. These sessions brought together the private sector and representatives from various institutions involved in chemicals authorization, monitoring and control processes, fostering a collaborative environment and enhancing inter-institutional communication, which Carlos highlights as one of the main results from the collaboration with UNITAR. It created a platform for ongoing dialogue and collaboration, ensuring that the efforts would continue to yield positive results.  

"This project has opened a new landscape of inter-agency coordination and communication, strengthening the links between institutions and coordinated work for chemicals management". 

By January 2025, El Salvador had made significant progress towards the adoption of GHS. The country issued a decree on Environment and Natural Resources for the adoption of the revised sixth ediction of the GHS under the title “Reglas técnicas para la introducción, distribución, y almacenamiento de sustancias conforme al sistema globalmente armonizado de clasificación y etiquetado de productos químicos” [Technical rules for the introduction, distribution and storage of substances under the globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals].  

Carlos also considers that one of the key elements of the collaboration with UNITAR was the guidance provided by the experts and the UNITAR team in their own language, and the experts’ familiarity with the regional context. Carlos has indicated that the hardest job is yet to come as they hope the technical rules will be implemented as intended by all relevant parties to transmit reliable information for both human health care and the environment, minimising the risks of pollution and public exposure to hazardous substances and waste.