Chemicals are increasingly produced and consumed worldwide, including in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Their production and use carry significant hidden costs – such as negative health impacts, environmental harm and related injustices – underscoring the need for sound chemicals and waste management. Effective management helps minimize harm while enabling economic benefits.
However, achieving this requires sustainable financing for the institutional systems and governance structures responsible for regulating, monitoring and enforcing chemicals and waste management.
SEI researchers Annika Hilgert and Daniel Duma, together with a team from the University of Cape Town, have researched sustainable financing for chemicals and waste management in LMICs for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Their findings are published in the UNEP guidance document Implementing Domestic Financing for the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste.
The guidance supports LMICs in identifying and establishing sustainable financing mechanisms under the UNEP Special Programme on Chemicals, which strengthens national institutions by helping create responsible agencies, develop regulatory frameworks and foster multi-stakeholder coordination. Below, Annika Hilgert shares key insights from the document.