28 May 2013, Malé, Republic of Maldives — The National Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) Planning and Inception Workshop was held in Malé on 15-16 May 2013 to launch the project “Strengthening Capacities for National SAICM Implementation in Maldives,” which is funded by the SAICM Quick Start Programme Trust Fund. UNITAR is serving as the international executing agency.

The workshop provided the opportunity to raise awareness on SAICM and the project as well as undertake multi-stakeholder planning for a number of project activities including: preparing a National Profile to Assess Infrastructure and Capacity Needs for Chemicals Management; strengthening national governance structure through development of an interministerial coordination mechanism, stakeholder involvement policy, and information exchange mechanism; and developing a national chemicals management database.

The workshop was attended by forty representatives of government, industry, academia, civil society organizations, and UNITAR. It was hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Energy, and attended by Mr. Ibrahim Naeem, the Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency.