The first meeting of the Open-Ended Legal and Technical Working Group (OELTWG) of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) convened for its first day on 21 October 2008, at FAO headquarters, in Rome, Italy.
In the morning, Matthew Gubb, SAICM Secretariat, welcomed participants to the first OELTWG. Peter Kenmore, FAO, on behalf of the Director General of the FAO, highlighted the activities of FAO in implementing SAICM.
The Secretariat suggested, and delegates agreed, to work on the basis of the rules of procedure of the preparatory committee for the development of SAICM, mutatis mutandis. Delegates then elected Osvaldo Alvarez (Chile) as Chair as well as the other members of the Bureau: Abiola Olanipekun (Nigeria), Kateřina Šebková (Czech Republic), Barry Reville (Australia) and Mohammed Khashashneh (Jordan).
Throughout the day delegates undertook an initial “read through” of the rules of procedure of the preparatory committee for the development of SAICM (SAICM/OELTWG.1/2) and considered how these could be adapted to serve the International Committee on Chemicals Management (ICCM). Delegates continued discussions on rules of procedure related to the bureau, late into the evening.
