On 20 May 2021, the MV X-Press Pearl container ship caught fire and started sinking on early June, releasing fuel oil, dangerous chemicals, and plastic pellets – among other materials – in the Laccadive sea as it was anchored around 9 nautical miles (17 kilometers) northwest of the Port of… Read More
On 7 March 2021, a series of explosions occurred in the city of Bata, Equatorial Guinea, leaving the country in a catastrophic situation. After consultation with the UN Resident Coordinator (RC) in the country, a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team was deployed to support the government-led… Read More
This summary summarizes the session from the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week on Asbestos and Humanitarian response, from February 2020. Core questions posed in the session included (1) what the immediate actions, which can be taken to reduce the asbestos risks in post-disaster operations, and (2) What the long-term… Read More
Prevention, preparedness and response are key pillars of the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents which will celebrate its 20th anniversary of entry into force on 19 April 2020. The Convention was negotiated in response to the 1986 Sandoz chemical spill, which put Switzerland… Read More
Guidance document by the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit to assist the disseminating of information amongst the international community and identifying the exact type of international assistance required. Read More
This factsheet describes the Flash Environmental Assessment Tool (FEAT), a tool developed by the UN Environment/OCHA Joint Unit (JEU) to help humanitarians assess the impacts of chemical accidents. Read More
The Terms of Reference for Sampling and Analysis Experts describe the key responsibilities and the specific background and skills of experts deployed by the UN Environment/OCHA Joint Unit during emergency response missions. Read More
The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for certain hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in international trade regulates the transboundary movements of hazardous waste chemicals, specifically pesticides. Parties to the Convention can request emergency assistance from the Secretariat in order to estimate the magnitude of damage occurred or damage… Read More
The Organisation for the Prohibition of chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an international organization working to implement the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention. With its 193 Member States, the OPCW oversees the global endeavor to permanently and veritably eliminate chemical weapons. Their key priority areas are protection, assistance and facilitating… Read More
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) works to promote shared responsibilities in relation to importation of hazardous chemicals, specifically persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The convention regulates the movements of POPs and provides emergency assistance to member States to estimate damages that have or may occur. The Convention also… Read More
A concise document providing a framework to assist stakeholders to identify, understand and minimise the risks before, during and after a change of ownership at a hazardous facility. Read More
The preparedness and response tools for wildland fires made available by the Global Fire Monitoring Center. Read More