Title of the project: Training and capacity development activities under the Stockholm Convention
Donor: Sweden
Partners: Government of Indonesia and the Stockholm Convention Regional Center in Indonesia (SCRC-Indonesia)
Duration: 1 June 2020 to 30 April 2021
Target countries: Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Qatar, State of Palestine, Vanuatu
Objectives
Through capacity building activities using the guidance for developing, reviewing and updating NIPs and guidance on inventory and alternatives to newly listed POPs, Parties will be able to develop, review and update their NIPs to meet their obligation and to implement various action plans under their NIPs.
Activities
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Training and capacity building workshop for developing and updating NIPs using guidance materials developed by the Convention;
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Pilot project on developing inventories of one of the newly listed POPs (DecaBDE, SCCP) for updating NIPs using guidance materials.
Highlights
The addition of chemicals to Annexes A, B and/or C to the Stockholm Convention triggers the need for Parties to review and update the NIPs in accordance with Article 7. The Stockholm Convention has added 18 new POPs since 2009, bringing the total number of POPs to 30. While over 90% of Parties have transmitted the initial POPs, only about half of the Parties have transmitted the updated NIPs reflecting the amendments adopted in 2009 and 2011, and only 10 to 30% have transmitted the updated NIPs reflecting the amendments adopted in 2013, 2015 and 2017. Parties from developing countries and countries with economies in transition have oftentimes expressed the need for assistance in the process for reviewing and updating the NIPs. The Asia Pacific region, which has the lowest NIP transmission rate (only 88%), has several Parties potentially affected by banning or severe restriction of production and use of newly listed industrial POPs. The current project contributed to responding to such prominent need for technical assistance in the Asia Pacific region, developing guidance materials that could be applied globally, and providing specific support to Indonesia to develop preliminary inventories of new POPs and updating the NIP.
The key outputs of the current projects are the following:
A set of guidance documents was developed to assist Parties in establishing inventories, identifying and monitoring the products and articles containing these POPs, and selecting best available techniques and best environmental practices for the management of new POPs. The guidance documents on preparing inventories of SCCPs and PBDEs including decaBDE were updated and pilot tested in Indonesia to develop preliminary inventories of those substances. In cooperation with the Stockholm Convention Regional Center, the Government of Indonesia was engaged in the collection of national information on SCCPs and decaBDE. A national consultation meeting with key stakeholders was organized to validate the preliminary inventory in Indonesia.
A regional training workshop was organized online from 16 to 18 November 2020 for countries from the Asia Pacific region. The workshop disseminated various guidance materials available under the Stockholm Convention to support Parties to develop, review and update NIPs, including on preparing inventories of new POPs, alternatives to new POPs and BAT/BEP. Supported by international experts, the workshop provided focused training on the use of the inventory guidance on SCCPs and PBDEs including decaBDE, commercial pentaBDE, commercial octaBDE and other brominated flame retardants listed under the Stockholm Convention and shared the experience in the development of preliminary inventories in Indonesia, as well as the experience of China, Thailand, and Japan.
Reports on progress in developing and updating NIPs and on the assessment of new POPs to support countries to ratify the amendments or update NIPs were developed. The information collected and analyzed in the reports assisted some of the Parties to prepare for the ratification of the amendments and to update NIPs. The information in the reports may also contribute to the preparation of the report on effectiveness evaluation of the Stockholm Convention.
Finally, training and awareness-raising materials to support the development, review and updating of NIPs were developed, enabling effective delivery of capacity building events in an online format. A set of PPT presentations for workshops as well as a syllabus for online training modules and technical contents of the modules were developed. The online modules are currently being developed in cooperation with UNITAR. Factsheets on 18 new POPs, exemptions and candidate POPs were developed and disseminated in the regional workshop and through online networks of the BRS Secretariat.