The fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5), where delegates will agree on the UN's post-2020 chemicals management framework, has been postponed for nine months because of the global Covid-19 crisis.
The conference has been moved from October this year to 5-9 July 2021, according to a message sent on 3 April to stakeholders for the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (Saicm), the UN's current voluntary scheme.
ICCM5 was set to decide what happens after Saicm's mandate ends this year.
"Today, we need ‘all hands on deck’ to address the Covid-19 pandemic and protect the health of citizens everywhere," ICCM5 President Gertrud Sahler, from Germany's Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, said.
"This, however, does not mean forgetting about other pressing global challenges," she added. "We will work hard to maintain the momentum and get agreement on the future framework, building upon the unique Saicm multi-stakeholder approach and the good work done to date."
Postponing ICCM5 will "provide negotiators with more time to work on the draft text for the beyond 2020 instrument," the message said. Saicm's secretariat and the UN environment programme (Unep) are "currently exploring options to maintain dialogue and make further progress in the meantime."
In March, a crucial round of negotiations – the fourth meeting of Saicm's intersessional process, or IP4 – was postponed due to the coronavirus. It was originally scheduled for 23-27 March in Romania.
At the time, Unep said it expected ICCM5 to go ahead as planned in October.
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