National Focal Point

Mandate

Pursuant to Article 9 of the Stockholm Convention, each Party shall designate a national focal point for the exchange of the information referred to in paragraph 1 of article 9. This is information relevant to:

  • The reduction or elimination of the production, use and release of PoPs; and

  • Alternatives to PoPs, including information relating to their risks as well as their economic and social costs.

Parties, through these focal points, exchange information either directly or through the Secretariat. The Secretariat serves as a clearing-house mechanism for information on POPs, including information provided by Parties, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations, as provided by Article 9 paragraph 4 of the Convention.

Non-Party States are invited, should they wish to do so, to nominate national focal points for communications concerning matters pertaining to the Convention.

Frequency

Parties are to provide the Secretariat with complete contact details of their national focal point as soon as possible. Any changes shall also be notified to the Secretariat.

Rapid transmission of this information supports the effective transmission of information to, from and between Parties in relation to the Convention.

Format

A standard form for submitting formal designations of national focal points to the Secretariat was first adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention at its second meeting (May 2006).

The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention (May 2013) adopted a revised harmonized form for notifications of contacts to the Secretariat, including any modifications or additions as they occur. This form was also submitted to and adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention at its eleventh meeting and the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention at its sixth meeting. The form has been harmonized and may be used to transmit information on designated contacts in accordance with the provisions of the Basel, Rotterdam and/or Stockholm conventions. This is intended to facilitate transmission of information to the Secretariat while respecting the legal autonomy of each Convention.

This form is available in all six official United Nations languages and can be downloaded in English, French or Spanish.

Procedures and processes of the Secretariat

Parties are requested to send the form duly completed to the Secretariat by fax (+41 (0)22 917 8098) or e-mail (contacts@brsmeas.org). It is important to note that self-nominations will not be considered.

The form must be completed by an entity duly authorized by the Government to communicate such information to the Secretariat, such as a permanent mission to the United Nations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The information transmitted will be included in the official records of the Secretariat as well as on the website of the Stockholm Convention (www.pops.int), as the officially designated national focal point for the purposes of Article 9 of the Convention.

List of National Focal Points

Please click here to access the list of designated national focal points.