In response to the invitation of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) Agenda 21 to further consider the establishment of an intergovernmental forum on chemical safety, the Executive Heads of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Labour Office (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) convened the International Conference on Chemical Safety (ICCS), which was held at the invitation of the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden in Stockholm, 25-29 April 1994. Representatives from 114 countries together with those from United Nations bodies, Specialized Agencies of the United Nations, other intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGO's) took part in the Conference.
Agenda 21 has called for increased coordination both within and outside the United Nations system. Building on the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) as the nucleus, work is well underway to strengthen and improve the coordination of the efforts of international organizations. WHO, as one of the three partners in IPCS, has pledged increased support to the collaborative programme, and offered to host an interim Secretariat for the proposed Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety