A five day regional workshop for African countries was held in conjunction with the Rotterdam Convention at the Hôtel Source du Nil in Bujumbura, Burundi, from 22 to 26 September, 2008.
Two days of the workshop were dedicated to issues related to the joint implementation of the Rotterdam and the Stockholm Convention, while three days were specific to the Stockholm and the Rotterdam Convention groups. The Stockholm Convention group concentrated on effective participation in the POPs Review Committee (POPRC).
The main aims of the workshop were to:
- Enhance the understanding of stakeholders on the processes of the POPRC
- Increase the participation of countries in the review process, namely the identification and nomination of candidate chemicals, as well as the provision of information pertaining to the risk and the management of the chemicals under review for listing under the Convention
- Develop competencies that will continuously assist countries to implement risk management, including and beyond new POPs
- Foster information exchange between incoming and outgoing members of the POPRC
- Try out the developed handbook in the region.
The workshop was attended by present and past members of the POPRC, national Focal Points and key stakeholders of the Stockholm Convention from 17 countries of the African Region (Burundi, Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritius, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo and Zambia), as well as the director of the nominated Stockholm Convention Regional Centre in Senegal. The outcome of the workshop will be reported to the fourth meeting of the POPs Review Committee scheduled to meet from 13 to 17 October 2008 in Geneva.