Hosted by the Republic of Indonesia, the 24th meeting of the AMEICC (AEM-METI Economic and Industrial Cooperation Committee) WG-CI (Working Group on Chemical Industry) was held in Bali, Indonesia from 18 to 19 July 2019.
Attended by government and industry representatives from ASEAN Member States (AMSs) and Japan, the annual meeting provided a platform of discussion and engagement among the AMS and Japan to share on the developmental updates related to chemical safety management.
Delegates from Singapore were represented by SCIC, Mr Terence Koh, Executive Director and Ms Cissie Yeung, Member of SCIC Emerging Regulations Workgroup & Co-chair of ASEAN Regulatory Co-operation Project (ARCP).
Besides reporting the outcomes from the Technical Working Group on the ASEAN-Japan Chemical Safety Database which included the need for continual provision of information by AMS, particularly on revision to chemical management regulations and chemicals listing, the AMS members also had an exchange information on:
- An update by each AMS on the current status of the chemical safety management regulatory developments and efforts towards achieving the goals under World Summit on Sustainable Developments (WSSD) 2020
- Current status on management of plastic waste including policy, action plans and initiatives that were undertaken. JCIA (Japan Chemical Industry Association) shared on the “Osaka Blue Ocean Vision” which aimed to reduce additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by 2050 as the constructive outcome of G20 Osaka Summit. Japan (METI) also shared highlights of Japan’s support for empowerment in developing countries to promote waste management, recovery of marine litter and innovation through certain international policy measures and domestic action plan. There was an exchange of information on the plastic waste policy and strategy by the 10 AMS and Japan.
- Update on the ASEAN Regulatory Cooperation Project (ARCP) https://www.scic.sg/asean/, an initiative of the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and led by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), Japan Chemical Industry Association (JCIA), and Singapore Chemical Industry Council (SCIC) in joint-efforts to advance chemical regulatory cooperation in the ASEAN region.
The pro-active participation from SCIC in AMEICC helps to strengthen the network established with the government and industry of AMS. This will enhance the supporting of our continuing advocacy efforts towards driving greater chemical regulatory coherence in ASEAN for the benefits of our members in the chemical industry. Visit https://www.ameicc.org/home for more information about AMEICC.
