Mandate 2025-2028

I.Objectives

The Working Party on Risk Management (hereafter the “WPRM”) shall assist the Chemicals and Biotechnology Committee (hereafter the “CBC”) in facilitating and supporting its work on the risk management of chemicals. It will oversee and give direction from the viewpoint of regulatory applicability to the activities of the programme on risk management of chemicals. This includes the sharing of risk management approaches, collaboration to advance sustainable chemistry, the development and sharing of methodologies and approaches for alternatives and socio-economic assessment as well as to support substitution of harmful chemicals and collaboration on risk management approaches on specific chemicals.

II.Working Methods

To achieve these objectives, the WPRM shall:

1.serve as a forum for exchanging experience and documenting risk management approaches for chemicals;

2.develop tools and methods to support substitution of harmful chemicals, advance the application of sustainable chemistry approaches including sustainable materials management from a chemicals perspective, as well as the alternatives and socioeconomic assessment to support chemicals management;

3.support the collaboration between governments on risk management approaches for specific chemicals, such as per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances and on topical areas such as the chemical-waste interface.

III.Coordination arrangements

In order to efficiently implement its objectives, the WPRM shall:

1.work in collaboration with other bodies of the CBC (in particular the Working Party on Chemical Accidents, the Working Party on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers, the Working Party on Pesticides) and the Environmental Policy Committee (in particular the Working Party on Integrating Environmental and Economic Policies and the Working Party on Resource Productivity and Waste);

2.cooperate with other international organisations under the umbrella of the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC);

3.collaborate with Business at OECD (BIAC), the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) and non-governmental organisations working on environment protection and/or animal welfare.

IV.Composition

The WP-HROB is composed of delegates nominated by Members and other participants who are responsible for the environmental risk/safety assessment and/or regulation of organisms produced through modern biotechnology.