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The Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention reviews progress towards elimination of PCBs (paragraph (h) of Part II of Annex A to the Convention), every four years at its ordinary meetings, taking into account the information provided in the national reports submitted by Parties pursuant to Article 15 of the Convention.

At its eighth meeting, the Conference of the Parties adopted decision SC-8/3, by which it established a small intersessional working group, working by electronic means and, subject to the availability of funding, through a face-to-face meeting, to prepare a report on progress towards the elimination of PCBs for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its ninth meeting. Following paragraph 9 of that decision, Colombia is serving as lead country in the preparation of the report.

Thanks to the generous financial support provided by the European Union and the Governments of Japan and Norway, the small intersessional working group on PCB prepared, through online meetings and a face-to-face meeting, held in Prague from 12 to 14 December 2018, the report on progress towards the elimination of PCB (UNEP/POPS/COP.9/INF/10) and recommendations (UNEP/POPS/COP.9/6/Add.1).

Invitation to respond to an online questionnaire

The small intersessional working group prepared an online questionnaire for the review of progress towards the elimination of PCB to collect additional information from Parties and Observers to the Stockholm Convention. All Parties and Observers to the Convention are invited to respond to the questionnaire, either online or on the Word format, and submit the responses to the Secretariat by 30 September 2018.

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Invitation to respond to an online questionnaire for the review of progress towards the elimination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) by 30 September 2018
Questionnaire for the review of progress towards the elimination of PCB
Q3.2 PCB quantitative data

At its ninth meeting, the Conference of the Parties adopted decision SC-9/3, by which it took note of the report on progress towards the elimination of PCB (UNEP/POPS/COP.9/INF/10) and the recommendations of the small intersessional working group (UNEP/POPS/COP.9/6/Add.1), and:

• Urged Parties to step up their efforts, inter alia, by urgently implementing actions to eliminate the use of PCB in equipment by 2025 and to achieve the environmentally sound management as waste of liquids containing PCB and equipment contaminated with PCB having a content above 0.005% by 2028;
• Encouraged Parties to endeavour to identify, as soon as possible, open applications such as cable sheaths, cured caulk and painted objects containing more than 0.005% PCB and to manage them in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 6 of the Convention.

The Conference of the Parties decided to undertake, at its eleventh meeting, a review of progress towards the elimination of PCB in accordance with paragraph (h) of part II of Annex A to the Convention and urged Partied to provide information on progress in eliminating PCB in their fifth national reports, to be submitted pursuant to Article 15 of the Convention by 31 August 2022, in accordance with paragraph (g) of part II of Annex A to the Convention.

Nomination of experts for the small intersessional working group and lead country

At its ninth meeting, the Conference of the Parties re-established the small intersessional working group on PCB to assist the Secretariat in preparing, for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its eleventh meeting:

• A report on progress towards the elimination of PCB;
• Guidance on a standardized approach to developing inventories of PCB and to analysis for the identification and quantification of PCB;
• A draft strategy for Parties to meet the 2025 and 2028 goals of the Stockholm Convention.