Sub-regional workshop on updating national implementation plans (NIPs) and POPs wastes under the Stockholm Convention

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, from 8 to 10 December 2014

Background: The addition of chemicals to Annexes A, B or C of the Convention triggers the need for most parties to review and update the national implementation plans (NIPs) in accordance with decision SC-1/12. In 2009, nine new chemicals were added to the Annexes of the Convention and in 2011, endosulfan was added to Annex A of the Convention.

The process of reviewing and updating the NIPs can be challenging for parties that lack adequate resources and technical capacity. Parties have expressed the need for assistance in that regard and in particular in addressing newly listed POPs that are widely used for industrial purposes and are contained in products and articles. In accordance with decision SC-4/9 that requested the Secretariat to identify any additional guidance that might be required to assist parties in their development and implementation of the Convention, a set of guidance documents has been developed to assist parties in reviewing and updating their NIPs with information relating to newly listed POPs. These documents should assist parties in developing strategies to restrict and eliminate the newly listed POPs by providing guidance on establishing inventories, controlling the import of new POPs, monitoring the presence of products and articles containing new POPs, selecting best available techniques and best environmental practices for the management of new POPs.

While updating their NIPs, parties should also evaluate effectiveness of the action plans and strategies included in the original NIP. Review of the adopted strategies and measures to reduce or eliminate releases of Annex C POPs will require parties to elaborate updated release inventories in order to evaluate whether the unintentional releases actually decreased.

POPs wastes are listed as wastes in Annexes I and VIII of the Basel Convention. The updated general technical guidelines for the environmentally sound management of wastes consisting of, containing or contaminated with POPs was adopted by the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Basel Convention by its decision VIII/16. Further, the COP mandated by its decision BC-11/3, to update the general technical guidelines and the preparation or updating of specific technical guidelines with regard to the chemicals listed in Annexes A, B and C to the Stockholm Convention by its decisions SC-4/10, SC-4/11, SC-4/12, SC-4/13, SC-4/14, SC-4/15, SC-4/16, SC-4/17, SC-4/18, SC-5/3, and SC-6/13 of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention.

Organized by

The training was organized by the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in cooperation with the Basel Convention Regional Centre for the Caribbean Region in Trinidad and Tobago. The European Union kindly provided funding for the workshop.  Germany (GIZ) also funded the workshop.

Working language(s)

English is the working language of the training.

Objectives of the workshop

The objectives of this global workshop were:

  • Fostering participants’ understanding of the scope of the obligations to update and review their NIPs under article 7 of the Convention in light of POPs listed in 2009 and 2011.
  • Increasing participants’ capacity to make an effective use of the guidance documents and other training tools when updating their NIPs, leading to increased capacity for sustained implementation of the Conventions.
  • To strengthen the capacity of parties to develop effective strategies and action plans towards the elimination of POPs and enable them to meet their obligation under the Convention to transmit updated NIPs to the COP.
  • To provide guidance to parties in evaluating effectiveness of activities undertaken as a result of implementation of the initial NIPs, to evaluate their impact and derive lessons learnt that can favour the development of more effective strategies for updating NIPs; and
  • Increasing participants’ understanding of the technical guidelines on POPs wastes under the Basel Convention.

Target audience

The training session brought together national officials from Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago who have started the process of reviewing and updating the national implementation plans (NIPs).

Outcome

Participants received training which combined presentations, practical exercises and working group discussions on procedural and substantive issues related to updating and reviewing NIPs under article 7 in light of the newly added POPs and the national reporting obligations under the Stockholm Convention. Also, the training addressed POPs wastes including plastics wastes in the electronic and electrical equipment. Furthermore, participants learned about the technical guidelines on POPs wastes under the Basel Convention. Finally, participants benefited from a field visit to a cement kiln and exchanged views on co-processing hazardous wastes in cement kilns.

Report

Contact information

Contact information:For questions regarding the training please contact Tatiana Terekhova (Tatiana.Terekhova@brsmeas.org) and Lina Fortelius (Lina.Fortelius@ brsmeas.org).