Verdant Chosen for ABA Team Reviewing Moldova's Draft Chemicals Law

Moldova:

Verdant is pleased to announce that it was selected by the American Bar Association (ABA) to be part of a small team that will provide a legal review of Moldova’s draft law on chemicals, and provide guidance on drafting related legislation.

Verdant founder Philip Moffat said “We are pleased to have the opportunity to assist Moldova’s effort.  Our attorneys are experienced in working with the chemical control laws in most of the major markets around the globe, as well as many smaller ones.  Catherine Lin, who will be Verdant’s leading contributor, is a recognized expert in the field having previously served as in-house counsel at Pfizer on global chemical control and supply chain management issues.”

Background

The growing world-wide commitment to protect human health and the environment from dangerous chemicals and wastes has been a catalyst for action in many countries and sectors. Due to the cross sectoral nature of chemicals and waste management and the interests of various government ministries and other stakeholders in this area, well-coordinated and integrated management approaches at the national level will achieve maximum impact for the limited resources available worldwide, inclusively in the Republic of Moldova. This includes much improved links to the development planning agenda of the country. The analysis of existing mechanisms for inter-ministerial coordination in the sphere of sound management of chemicals reveals a fragmentary approach to chemicals management in different economic branches, which is an issue that will be directly addressed in this project. In this context, the UNDP “Mainstreaming of Sound Management of Chemicals in National Development Planning Processes” project aims to achieve the mainstreaming SMC priorities into national developments plans in order to strengthen country’s foundational capacities for chemicals and waste management thus minimizing the significant adverse effects of these on human health and the global environment.

Aiming at building capacities for formulation and implementation of SMC policies and fostering sustainable forms of development, the project will achieve its objective through the following outputs referring at:

  • Baseline analysis and identification of sound management of chemicals and hazardous waste priorities
  • Economic valuation of selected priorities and designing policy instruments supporting the priority SMC issues
  • Identification of opportunities for integration of SMC within national plans and subsequent mainstreaming of national SMC priorities into national development programs and plans.

The project will build-upon the UNDP-UNEP Partnership Initiative methodology to Integrating sound management of chemicals into MDG-based development planning which is a comprehensive approach to mainstreaming environmental sustainability.

National priority issues in the sphere of chemicals management in the Republic of Moldova were identified and reflected in the First National Profile on Chemicals Management in the Republic of Moldova (2008). The National Program on Sound Management of Chemicals was approved and establishes the main objectives of the sound chemicals management system to 2020. The overall aim of the program lies in developing an integrated system of chemicals management being efficient from technical, economic, social and environmental points of view.

The program further envisages harmonization of national legislations with EU legislations and sets up the necessary legal and institutional framework for establishment of Chemicals Agency in the Republic of Moldova (hereinafter referred to as the Agency). The draft Law on Chemicals will develop an integrated approach for chemicals management including import, production, processing, storage, transport, use, disposal/treatment and recycling and will be in line with the relevant international treaties. In this context, UNDP Moldova seeks to hire an international consultant (hereinafter referred to as the “consultant”) to provide legal support for revision of the draft Law on Chemicals and recommendations on relevant secondary legislation in line with EU Directives in the respective area.