Outputs:

1) Virtual Risk Assessment Workshop (February 2021; as necessary again in 2021)

a) Up to 24 participants (at least one government or industry representative from each economy) and 4 expert facilitators.

i) Speakers will be workshop organizers and facilitators of breakout groups in the virtual workshop. The facilitators will be risk assessment experts in companies or governments in the region. The virtual workshop will take place over Webex’s Training Modules platform. The workshop functions optimally with a smaller number of participants, which may require hosting a second risk assessment workshop later in 2021 if there is sufficient demand.

b) PO to identify participants, including breakout group leaders, through nominations by APEC economies (November 2020 – January 2021). Participants should include chemical regulators, particularly those from developing APEC economies.

c)  PO to draft agenda and extend invitations to participants and experts (January 2021)

d)  Workshop Plan:

i)  Project proponents will preview the webinar at the virtual CD meeting November 4 – 5 and encourage participation.

ii)  Informational email to be sent to APEC CD in November 2020.

iii)  One hour, introductory webinar in December 202 (for participants and other interested experts/officials).

iv)  Two hour workshop in February 2021: virtual, interactive, breakout group experience, employing risk assessment/risk management procedures under realistic conditions.

v)  Review of workshop at first CD meeting in 2021 (date TBD).

vi) Incorporate shared recommendations, approaches, and insights into project outputs and future versions of the virtual workshop.

2)  In Person Risk Assessment Workshop (by October 2021 if conditions allow)

a) 35 participants (including from 11 travel eligible economies and up to 6 experts). Participants include chemical regulators, particularly those from developing APEC economies

b)  PO to identify participants and up to 6 experts/speakers for workshop

c)  PO to draft agenda and extend invitations to participants and speakers

d)  Workshop Plan:

i)  In person workshop will build off previous virtual engagements.

ii) "Hands on” interactive experience employing risk assessment/risk management procedures under realistic conditions

iii) Sharing recommendations, approaches, and insights with officials from other APEC economies

iv) Incorporate shared recommendations, approaches, and insights into project outputs

3) Outputs: Development of Policy Tools through the Experience of Risk Assessment Workshops

a)  Summary of Report of Virtual Workshop(s)

b) PO and stakeholders to commence draft of outputs  (November 2020 – November 2021)

i) Risk Assessment “Toolbox” – a set of practical tools that economies can use in their conduct of risk assessments, drawing from the experiences of the workshops and existing literature on the “how to” of risk assessments

ii) APEC Guidelines for Risk Assessment in the Chemical Industry – The workshops can help the Chemical Dialogue understand whether the development of guidelines regarding risk assessments in the chemical industry would be useful and what information they should contain.

iii)  Compendium of Risk Assessment/Management Resources

c) Initial outlines presented at Chemical Dialogue meeting in Q3 2021 during New Zealand host year

4) Dissemination of Workshop Outputs and Policy Tools

a) Summary report of workshop circulated to APEC Chemical Dialogue for approval (February 2021). Workshop summary report will be 5-10 pages in length. The report will include a summary of both virtual workshops, survey results of participants regarding their experiences with the workshop, and recommendations for developing the outputs below. The PO will use an electronic survey of participants to document participant’s experiences, insights, and recommendations.

b)  Policy tools circulated to APEC Chemical Dialogue for Approval (September 2021):

i) Risk Assessment “Toolbox”: This output will outline practical tools available to economies that are seeking to undertake risk assessments on existing and new chemical substances. The PO will develop this output in coordination with the VWG on Regulatory Cooperation and Coherence. This document will be 5-10 pages in length.  

ii)  APEC Guidelines for Risk Assessment in the Chemical Industry: This output will provide greater definition around how economies should undertake risk assessments for chemical substances, thereby promoting greater regulatory alignment and enhanced regulatory cooperation. The PO will develop this output in coordination with the VWG on Regulatory Cooperation and Coherence. This document will be 1-2 pages in length.  

iii) Compendium of Risk Assessment/Management Resources: This output will be a “literature review” of existing resources for risk assessment/management practitioners. The PO will develop this output in coordination with the VWG on Regulatory Cooperation and Coherence. This document will be 5-10 pages in length.  

The PO will combine all the policy tools in one document for the purposes of APEC publication and dissemination of the outputs within and outside of APEC.

Outcomes: Key project outcomes will likely include the following – which would be overseen by the APEC Chemical Dialogue's Virtual Working Group on Regulatory Cooperation and Convergence (VWG RCC):

1) Workshop participants’ knowledge growth and understanding of best practices of chemical risk assessment/risk management is established through an electronic survey issued to participants immediately after the virtual and if possible in-person workshops. The PO will issue another survey to all participants six months after the final workshop to assess whether the participants are using the knowledge and understanding gained from the workshops. 

2)  In cooperation with the private sector, successful and practical tools to implement best practices for objective, scientifically sound risk assessments are identified and compiled for chemical regulators, promoting trade, investment, and public-private cooperation in the region.

3)  Good regulatory practices for chemical regulatory cooperation in the APEC region are identified and compiled, specifically for chemical regulators from developing economies.

4) An APEC Chemical Dialogue Publication on Risk Assessment, which will be an APEC publication and supported by an agreed dissemination plan. This publication will include:

·   Risk assessment "toolbox”;

·   APEC Guidelines for Risk Assessment in the Chemical Industry; and

·   Compendium of risk assessment/risk management resources.

These specific outputs are designed to ultimately help APEC economies work towards a commitment to use risk assessments on chemical substances conducted by other competent authorities in other economies, taking into account of exposure scenarios in their own jurisdictions.

Beneficiaries: The program’s main beneficiaries would be chemical regulators, particularly those from developing APEC economies. In particular, the target group of nominated participants for the virtual and in person workshop includes risk assessors or toxicologists working for regulators in developing economies. The Chemical Dialogue will work with its subsidiary forum, the Regulators’ Forum as well as the Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC), to identify the technical experts responsible for risk assessments for chemical substances in individual economies. Secondarily, the program would also benefit other APEC government officials involved in regulatory affairs – including review, promulgation, and oversight. Policy experts involved in capacity building for GRP from other multilateral institutions, such as the World Bank, who have already participated in other related sessions organized by the Chemical Dialogue – would be invited to the introductory  webinars and the in person workshop, as they would benefit from hearing the experiences and best practices of economies. The OECD Chemicals Programme Secretariat would also be a key participant in the introductory webinars and in person workshop, having already joined a 2015 metals risk assessment workshop and published guidance on environmental risk assessment for metals in 2017, and would share resources/best practices on risk assessment developed jointly by OECD members – which would particularly benefit the participants from non-OECD APEC economies.