The seventh meeting of the Executive Board of the Special Programme to support institutional strengthening at the national level for the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) conventions, the Minamata Convention and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) was opened by Mr. Reggie Hernaus (Netherlands), outgoing co-chair of the Executive Board, at 13:00 (CEST) on 28 March 2022. Mr. Hernaus welcomed the participants and thanked them for their understanding of the need to hold an online meeting, given the travel restrictions still in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. He then invited Ms. Monika MacDevette, Chief of the Chemicals and Health Branch of UNEP’s Economy Division, to make some opening remarks