One of the aims of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is the coordination of humanitarian emergency response, by ensuring that an appropriate response mechanism is established. OCHA and UNEP have created a Joint Environment Unit, so as to improve the coordination between the two organizations when possible.

The objective of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) is to enable all societies to become resilient to the effects of natural hazards and related technological and environmental disasters, in order to reduce human, economic and social losses.

The APELL team works in close co-operation with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on a number of activities, and especially with the Environment Safety and Health Division and the Working Group on Chemical Accidents. The objective of this OECD work is to provide an opportunity for experts from governments, labour, international organisations, and other interested parties, to exchange information and experience; and based on this, to develop guidance on the prevention of, and preparedness for and response to, chemical accidents.

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE): Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents. The Convention aims to foster international cooperation to protect human beings and the environment against industrial accidents by preventing such accidents as much as possible, by reducing their frequency and severity, and by mitigating their effects. Available on this site is the full text of the Convention, along with information on the Signatories and Parties to the Convention, UNECE publications, and points of contact.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is another international organisation whose field of action is actually very close to the one of the APELL programme. Cooperation exists between WHO and APELL in the management of chemical accidents (International Programme on Chemical Safety - IPCS) and improvement of medical and public health services in preparedness and response to chemical accidents.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency with more than 90 years of experience in working to improve health and living standards of the countries of the Americas. It serves as the specialized organization for the health of the Inter-American System. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization and enjoys international recognition as part of the United Nations system. On this site you can also find the Regional Disaster Information Center (CRID), a multi-agency, whose objective is to collect, classify and distribute technical and scientific documentation on all aspects of disaster reduction.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the United Nations' specialized agency responsible for improving maritime safety and preventing pollution from ships. UNEP's APELL programme and IMO have been collaborating on a number of issues, and one of the outcomes of this collaboration is: APELL for Port Areas, a handbook meant to set out a procedure to enable decision-makers and technical personnel to improve community awareness of activities involving hazardous substances in port areas and to improve or create co-ordinated emergency response plans.

The ProVention Consortium is a global coalition of governments, international organizations, academic institutions, the private sector, and civil society organizations aimed at reducing disaster impacts in developing countries. The Consortium functions as a network to share knowledge and to connect and leverage resources to reduce disaster risk. It focuses on synergy and coordination so that efforts, and benefits, are shared.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) serves as the world's central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field, and as the international inspectorate for the application of nuclear safeguards and verification measures covering civilian nuclear programmes. The IAEA, UNEP APELL, UNIDO and WHO decided in 1986 to join forces in order to promote the use of integrated area wide approaches to risk management. An Inter-Agency Programme, which brings together expetise in health, the environment, industry and energy, all vital for effective risk manangement, was established.

The International Association Of Emergency Managers (IAEM). A non profit educational organization dedicated to promoting the goals of saving lives and protecting property during emergencies and disasters.

The International Programme on Chemical Safety - IPCS was established in 1980, as a joint programme of three Cooperating Organisations, ILO, UNEP and WHO, for implementing activities related to chemical safety. IPCS is an intersectoral coordinated and scientifically based programme. WHO is the Executing Agency of the IPCS. The two main roles of IPCS are: to establish the scientific basis for safe use of chemicals and to strengthen national capabilities and capacities for chemical safety. IPCS areas of activity include: evaluation of chemical risks to human health and the environment; methodologies for evaluation of hazards and risks; prevention and management of toxic exposures and chemical emergencies; development of the human resources required in the above areas.

Inter-Organization Programme for the sound Management of Chemicals - IOMC was established in 1995 to serve as a mechanism for coordinating efforts of intergovernmental organisations in the assessment and management of chemicals. The site is a gateway to the programmes of the IOMC and its member organisations (UNEP, ILO, FAO, WHO, UNIDO, UNITAR and OECD) that address chemical safety.


Regional Organisations

The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US/EPA) is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment - air, water, and land - upon which life depends. US/EPA has been supporting the APELL programme for long. EPA's Chemical Emergencies Preparedness and Prevention Office - CEPPO provides assistance to: prevent and prepare for chemical emergencies; to respond to environmental crises; and to inform the public about chemical hazards in their community. To protect human health and the environment CEPPO develops, implements, and coordinates regulatory and non-regulatory programs. There is also an emergencies page available where EPA's recommended emergency web pages can be found.

Web site of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a U.S. government agency that deals with disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

The Environment Canada - Environmental Emergencies is an active player in confronting the environmental aspects of emergencies. The mission of the Environmental Emergencies programme is to reduce the frequency, severity and consequences of these events.

European Commission - Seveso Directive site for the Chemical Accident Prevention, Preparedness and Response.

The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), located in Thailand, aims at disaster reduction for safer communities and sustainable development. A Memorandum of Understanding between ADPC and with UNEP is currently under progress.

The Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SRSA) is the Swedish central supervisory government authority for the rescue services. Its tasks include examining co-ordination between the various branches of the state rescue services, as well as the county administrative boards¡¯ planning for the rescue services in the event of a release of radioactive materials. The agency promotes practice that improves accident prevention and response, and in the event of an accident limits injury and damage. The SRSA hosted the 6th APELL Senior-level Expert Advisory Group Meeting in Rosesberg, 1998 and aided in the development and publication of TransAPELL document.

The National Safety Council of India (NSCI) is a member of the Asia-Pacific Occupational Safety and Health Organization (APOSHO) which is an international body composed of non-profit professional organizations devoted to the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases. The NSCI is working closely with UNEP DTIE to set up a National APELL Center and initiating APELL demonstration projects in India.


Information and Tools for Emergency Response Planning

CAMEO -- Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations is a system of software applications used widely to plan for and respond to chemical emergencies. It is one of the tools developed by the Environmental Protection Agency¡¯s Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to assist front-line chemical emergency planners and responders. CAMEO can be used to access, store, and evaluate information critical for developing emergency plans. The CAMEO system integrates a chemical database and a method to manage the data, an air dispersion model, and a mapping capability. All modules work interactively to share and display critical information in a timely fashion.

RADIUS - Risk Assessment Tools for Diagnosis of Urban Areas against Seismic Disasters - is a computer software launched by the ISDR - International Strategy for Disaster Reduction in 1996 to promote worldwide activities for reduction of seismic disasters in urban areas, particularly in developing countries. The software offers practical tools for earthquake damage estimation.

CARAT - Chemical Accident Risk Assessment Thesaurus - is an Internet database, containing analyses of laws, regulations, policies, definitions, and case studies related to risk assessment in the context of chemical accident prevention, preparedness and response. The objective of CARAT is to facilitate understanding and communication concerning risk assessment, by providing a means to clarify the differences in the methodologies and of terms that exist across and even within countries.

The International Directory of Emergency Response Centers for Chemical Accidents is a joint publication of three organisations: the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development); the UNEP-DTIE (United Nations Environment Programme - Division of Technology, Industry and Economics); and the Joint UNEP/OCHA (Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs) Environment Unit. The emergency response centres in the Directory are located in OECD and non-OECD countries. This international directory is intended to facilitate access to information and assistance provided by response centres located throughout the world. Such centres may provide information and advice on how to prepare for chemical accidents and to establish emergency programmes or centres, as well as assistance in responding to chemical accidents themselves. This is the second edition of the International Directory, originally published in 1991. Link to document

Emergency Response Guidebook 2000 - ERG 2000 - is a guidebook developed jointly by the US Department of Transportation, Transport Canada, and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation of Mexico (SCT) for use by fire-fighters, police and other emergency services personnel who may be the first to arrive at the scene of a transportation incident involving hazardous material. It is primarily a guide to aid first responders in (1) quickly identifying the specific or generic classification of the material(s) involved in the incident, and (2) protecting themselves and the general public during this initial response phase of the incident. The ERG is updated every three years to accommodate new products and technology.


Chemicals Data

This application enables data on many gas molecules to be accessed rapidly.
You can search on a raw chemical formula, chemical name or UN transportation code. The values displayed on this page are extracted from Air Liquide Group literature and data. Click here for access.