ASEAN Regulatory Co-operation Project (ARCP)
With ACIC members as the key drivers , the ARCP is an industry-led initiative to drive greater engagements and capacity building involving all the regulators and industry representatives from all the 10 ASEAN Member States through workshops, sharing good practices, exchanging regulatory updates and information, developing ASEAN guidance documents, building knowledge and competency in aspects of chemical management such as Classification of Hazard chemicals (GHS), Risk Assessment on Chemical Products, use of ASEAN prioritization tools in priority setting for risk assessment of chemicals, Provision of introductory knowledge to human health and eco toxicology etc.
Key ARCP activities in 2022 with extensive involvement by all ACIC members included:
Two sessions of the mini webinar were organised to continue the ongoing industry capacity and capability-building efforts in sharing and enhancing knowledge on chemical management for the ASEAN community.
Annual ARCP workshop was held on 28 to 29 Nov 2022 as a hybrid session which continues to serve as an effective platform with an extended involvement from more than 200 representatives of Government from various Ministries and Statutory Boards as well as from the industry.
Progressive developments of the new ARCP guidance documents on New Substance Notification (NSN) and Chemical Risk Assessment (CRA). These will serve as useful guides to assist ASEAN members in the implementation of such chemical management regulations in their respective countries.
Progressive enhancement to the ARCP guidance document on GHS implementation alignment with addition of checklist on adopting new revision and the principles of implementing mutual acceptance. This will help the ASEAN member states (AMS) to drive the convergence approach of GHS implementation of GHS in this region.
ARCP organising committee brainstorming session on 30 Nov 2022 with core team members on the forward plan
ACIC advocacy on EU proposal to introduce 6 new hazard classes to UN GHS The ACIC also organised 2 meetings in 2022 (Mar and Nov) to provide updates on developments of ARCP to all its members. Besides ARCP updates, ACIC put forth ASEAN position in responding to WTO TBT notification by EU commission regarding the Amendment of EU classification and labelling rules for chemicals to introduce new hazard classes for endocrine disruptors (ED) for human health and the environment as well as for other environmental hazards, namely persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT), very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB), persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT), very persistent and very mobile (vPvM) substances and mixtures.
