Enabling activities to facilitate early action on the implementation of the Stockholm convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

POPs are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioacculumate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to the human health and the environment. Many POPs pose such significant threats to human health and the environment that on 22nd May 2001, the world’s government met in Sweden and adopted an international treaty aimed at restricting and ultimately eliminating their production, use, release and storage.

The Treaty called the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is a major achievement. It starts by immediately targeting 12 particularly toxic POPs for reduction and eventual elimination. More importantly, it sets up a system for tackling additional chemicals identified as unacceptably hazards.

Nepal has become the signatory country on the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which was held on Stockholm from 22-23 May 2001. Nepal has signed the convention on 5 April 2002.The convention has not been ratified but the process of doing it is underway. Presently Global Environment Facility is helping Nepal to undertake project entitled "Nepal: Enabling Activities to facilitate early action on the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)" with the agreement between United Nations Industrial Development organization (UNIDO) and Ministry of Population and Environment.

The convention is in force from 17 May 2004. Till to date 151 government has become signatory to this convention and 94 countries has ratified it

1. Eliminate dangerous POPs, starting with the 12 worst (Adrin, chlordane, DDT, Dieldrin, Dioxins, (PCBs),Toxaphenes.
2. Support the transition to safer alternatives.
3. Target additional POPs for action
4. Clean up old stockpiles and equipment containing POPs
5. Work together for a POPs free future.

PROJECT NAME: ENABLING ACTIVITIES TO FACILITATE EARLY ACTION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STOCKHOLM CONVENTION ON PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS (POPS)

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The objective of the POPs Enabling Activities Project is to assist Nepal to fulfil its obligation in the Stockholm Convention and prepare and endorse its National Implementation Plan on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). This Proposal would also aim to strengthen national capacity and also to strengthen national capacity and enhance knowledge and understanding amongst decision makers, managers the industry, and the public at large on POPs to develop and formulate a National Implementation plan.

The proposed project will help to develop a national system for the environmentally sound management of chemicals, including legislation and provision for implementation and enforcement. The project office has been established in the complex of the Ministry of Population and Environment
Total Staffs: 7 including experts
Total Budget: US$ 319000.00

Progress Report of the POPs Enabling Activities project

Enabling Activities to Facilitate Early Action on the Implementation of Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), prject is a joint undertaking between Ministry of Population and Environment (MoPE) and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) with the financial assistance from Global Environment Facility (GEF) which is aimed to assist His Majesty's Government of Nepal to meets its obligation of the Stockholm Convention and endorse its National Implementation Plan on Persistent Organic Pollutants. The Stockholm Convention on POPs was adopted in May 22, 2001 and Nepal has signed the convention on April 5 2002. The contract between MOPE and UNIDO to execute the POPs Enabling Activities Project was signed on March 11 2003.

Following progress has been accomplished so far, which is inline with the project document:

1. Determination of coordinating mechanism and organizing process

Assessment and strengthening of the focal point
Ministry of Population and Environment is working as a National Focal Point of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent organic Pollutants (POPs). For smooth implementation of the project a National project Coordinator (NPC) FROM hmg/n haS been appointed who reports to the MoPE and a Cheif Technical Advisor (CTA) from UNIDO side have been appointed and who will work on part time basis who reports to UNIDO. Dr. S.P. Dhua Regional Coordinator, Regional Network on Pesticides Production and Information for Asia and the Pacific (RENPAP) is working as a CTA for the project.

1.1 Drawing-up overall work plan
Initially during the project agreement between MOPE and UNIDO the project is expected to complete within 2 years. Due to various circumstances it took considerable amount of time during the preparatory phase, and keeping this reality into consideration, First Steering Committee meeting has decided to recommend for the extension of the project period for one more year. Accordingly a revised work plan has been prepared and approved from Second Steering Committee meeting and now it is forwarded to CTA for necessary action.

• An Inception Workshop was held in Kathmandu, on 14-15 January, 2004 for raising awareness at the country level about the adverse effect of POPs chemicals for human health and environment with wider participation from different sectors such as GOs , NGOs, private sector. At this workshop there was representation from UNIDO, Vienna. There were participants from Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and Nepal Agriculture Research Council (NARC) including NGOs and private sector. Mr. Valentin Ishchenko and Dr. S.P. Dhua made a valuable contribution to make the workshop successful. During this workshop there was meeting between Secretaries MoAC, MoPE and Ministry of Commerce and supply and made a commitment to make this project successful in developing a comprehensive National Implementation Plan (NIP) for Stockholm convention on POPs for Nepal. Proceedings of the Inception Workshop has been published and distributed to all the concerned stakeholders, different libraries and to all interested individuals

1.2 Identification of main stakeholders and obtaining commitment of national stakeholders
MOPE has identified the main stakeholders and policy guidance for the project is done through the decision of the SC where commitment obtained from the stakeholders for smooth implementation of the project. Stakeholders have been involved in major project activities.

1 POPs Inventory Established and National Infrastructure and capacity assessed

2.1 Constitution of Task Teams

• In the first meeting of the Steering Committee, it was decided to recruit 3 experts that is one in each area like Pesticide, PCB and Dioxin and Furans. Experts have been locally recruited and they are already fully engaged in preparing the inventory. The selection of experts was done through a team as per the decision of the Ministry comprising senior Officials as well as experts of concerned field. In the selection team Joint Secretary from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives was also represented. Dr. S.P. Dhua was also present during the selection process
• A three member Research Team has been recruited for the duration of one year on contract basis to build inventories of import, use, distribution of POPs chemicals especially 8 pesticides, 2 industrial chemicals and 2 unintended by products.
• For POPs inventory work 3 experts namely expert on pesticide, expert on PCB and expert on Dioxin and Furans have been recruited which are Mr. Dhruba Narayan Manandhar, Dr. Bhupendra Devkota and Mr. Narendra Prasad Pokhrel respectively.
• The experts are rigorously making field visit for building inventories of import, use and distribution of POPs with in Nepal.
  

2.2 Training on Inventory Procedures

• Thereafter, in May 13-16, 2004, an Inventory Training Workshop was organized in Hotel Blue Star, Kathmandu with the participation of various governmental and non-governmental organization to provide extensive training for undertaking inventories of stocks, procedure for collecting POPs information, surveying contaminated sites, undertaking inventories of releases into air, water, soil and sediment and analysis of POPs compounds Where, Dr. George B. Assaf, Representative and Regional Director, UNIDO, New Delhi, Dr. S.P. Dhua and Dr. Ramdev participated in the meeting. A comprehensive work plan was then prepared and to speed up the process three experts were recruited locally in the fields of POP Pesticides, PCBs and Dioxins & Furans.
• Since the Inventory training Workshop, the activities are progressing very smoothly with full support and cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture.

2.3 Preliminary inventory of production, distribution, use import and export
A three member Expert team has been appointed to retrieve information regarding the production, distribution, use import and export of POPs chemicals.

• Each expert has submitted the work plan with expected output with timeframe.
• Experts have started building inventory of POPs and carried out identification; selection and training of data collectors for the field work in different parts of the country; modification and distribution of questionnaires.
• Experts have trained the enumerators in different parts of the country with the cooperation of resource persons trained during Inventory Training Workshop where available.
• A Follow-up Interaction Meeting with workshop participants and training of the enumerators was organized.
• Experts are collecting data to build the inventory by field visit and so far they have visited Bara, Parsa, Banke, Bardia, Kaski, Sunsari, Morang and Jhapa districts. Data from other parts of the country has also been collected through enumerator, resource persons and through secondary data available from different stakeholders offices.
• Samples for analysis especially of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) and pesticides have been collected for lab analysis.
• To find out the presence of PCB in transformer oil DEXSIL Toolkit has been purchased from USA and test has been carried out.
• Different governmental non-governmental institutions have been visited for collecting information on POPs.
• Different information/ data have been received from National Seed Company (NSC), Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), Department of Health Services, and Plant Protection Directorate (PPD), Agriculture Input Company (AIC), Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Nepal Bureau of Standard and Metrology (NBSM) and different industries. Meeting with these personnel was useful in collecting information and documents.
• A preliminary inventory on Pesticides, Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and Dioxins and Furans was submitted by experts in September 2004.

1.4 External independent review of initial national POPs inventories
The preliminary inventory submitted by experts has been forwarded to CTA for external independent review and the comments. Experts have submitted the revised draft in the first week of February 2005 by incorporating the comments received from external independent review. The report will be presented to Steering Committee for comments and also to Prioritisation workshop for discussion, comments and suggestion.

Issues:
• Safe packaging of the pesticides
• Disposal
• Public awareness