Transcript Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Stockholm Convention on
Persistent Organic Pollutants
Status and overview of
obligations to Parties
Don Cooper, Executive Secretary, Stockholm Convention
April 2009
What is the status of the Convention?
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Convention adopted on 22 May 2001
152 Governments signed it
Convention entered into force on 17 May 2004
162 Parties to date (17 November 2008)
3 COPs have already been convened
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COP-1 held in May 2005 in Punta del Este Uruguay
COP-2 held in Geneva in May 2006
COP-3 held in Dakar, Senegal in May 2007
COP-4 is scheduled to be convened in Geneva in
4-8 May 2009
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Stockholm Convention status of ratification
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Obligations of the Convention
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Elimination
Restriction
Continued reduction
Promotion
Preparation of NIP
Reporting
Effectiveness evaluation
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Obligations of the Convention:
Elimination of POPs
Each Party shall prohibit and/or take the
legal and administrative measures
necessary to eliminate its production and
use of chemicals in Annex A subject to the
provisions of that Annex.
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Annex A: Elimination
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Currently listed: aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin, endrin,
heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), mirex, PCBs, and
toxaphene
Some country-specific exemptions possible for aldrin,
chlordane, dieldrin, heptachlor, HCB, mirex
General exemptions for unintentional trace
contaminants, quantities in articles before entry-intoforce of the Convention and laboratory-scale research
quantities
Exemption for HCB as closed-system site-limited
intermediate
Elimination goal for PCBs
Provision on POPs contaminated wastes
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For PCBs: 3 Main Goals
1.
2.
3.
Cease production of PCBs immediately.
Eliminate use of in-place PCB equipment
by 2025.
Achieve environmentally sound disposal of
PCB wastes as soon as possible and not
later than 2028.
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Restriction provisions:
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Each Party shall restrict its production and
use of chemicals in Annex B in accordance
with the provisions of that Annex.
Currently listed: DDT
Production and use of chemicals in Annex
B is eliminated, except for “acceptable
purposes”
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For DDT:
Parties shall:
 Eliminate production and use unless they have notified the
Secretariat of their intent to use it
If so, they must:
 Restrict such production/use to disease vector in
accordance with WHO guidelines, recommendations
 Provide information on use to the Secretariat every three
years
COP shall:
encourage Parties using DDT to develop and implement an
action plan to ensure that DDT use is restricted to disease
vector control, and implementation of suitable alternatives
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Release reduction/elimination
Each Party shall:
 Develop an action plan to evaluate and address releases
 Promote measures to achieve realistic and meaningful
levels of release reduction or source elimination
 Promote development and, where appropriate, require
use of substitute or modified materials, products and
processes to prevent formation and release of POPs
 Promote/Require BAT and BEP for new/existing
sources
 When applying BAT/BEP, Parties to consider COP
guidelines (Now available in E, F, R, S)
 Give priority to certain recovery, recycling and other
waste management practices outlined in Annex C that
prevent releases of unintentionally produced POPs
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Managing stockpiles & wastes
Parties are to:
 Develop strategies for identifying POPs stockpiles
 Manage POPs stockpiles & wastes in an
environmentally sound manner
 Dispose of POPs wastes consistent with
international rules
 Not dispose in a way that leads to reuse of POPs
 Not to transport POPs wastes unless comply with
international rules
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Working with Basel Convention on
POPs contaminated wastes
Stockholm Convention shall cooperate with Basel
Convention to:
 Establish levels of destruction where POPs
characteristics are not exhibited
 Determine what methods constitute
environmentally sound disposal
 Define low POP content concentration levels
Under the Basel Convention several guidelines for
management of POPs wastes have been
developed.
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Implementation plans (Article 7)
Parties shall develop and implement plans for the
implementation of their treaty obligations
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Guidance for developing NIPs available
85 national plans have been submitted as of 17
November 2008
127 developing and EIT countries funded thus far to
develop their plans
Plans of the first 50 Parties were due in May 2006
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Indicator of implementation: NIPs
transmitted
Western
Europe &
others
Central &
Asia &
Eastern Africa
Pacific
Europe
Latin
America &
Caribbean
Total
Parties
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19
50
44
29
163
NIP
required
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14
41
38
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134
NIP
transmitt
ed
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12
30
23
12
96
%
90
85
73
60
60
71
(end March 09)
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NIP transmitted in EECCA
NIP status
Armenia
Azerbaijan
yes
no (due May 06)
Belarus
yes
Georgia
no (due Jan 09)
Kazakhstan
no (due Feb 10)
Kyrgyz Republic
Moldova
Russian Federation
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
no (due March 09)
yes
not Party
yes
not Party
no (due Dec 09)
not Party
Identifying new POPs (Article 8)
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Criteria and a procedure established for adding new
POPs
Any Party may submit a proposal for listing chemicals
POPs Review Committee was set up at COP-1 to
(1) review submissions,
(2) develop risk profiles
(3) risk management evaluations and
(4) make recommendations to the COP
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COP makes decisions, and the Convention is then
amended accordingly
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POPs Review Committee:
Recommends adding nine chemicals to the Convention:
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Pentabromodiphenyl ether (flame retardant);
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Chlordecone (pesticide)
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Hexabromobiphenyl ether (flame retardant)
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Lindane (pesticide)
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Alpha hexachlorocyclohexane (byproduct in Lindane
production)
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Beta hexachlorocyclohexane (byproduct in Lindane
production)
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Perflurooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane
sulfonyl fluoride (multiple industrial uses)
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Hexabromodiphenyl either and other hexa- and
hepabromodiphenyl eithers present in commerical
octabromodiphenyl ether (flame retardant)
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Pentachlorobenzene (flame retardant, unintentional
release
Information exchange (Article 9)
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Parties shall:
facilitate/undertake exchange of POPs
information
establish national Stockholm Convention focal
for point technical informaiton exchange
Designate official contact points for formal
communications (required by COP decision)
Secretariat to be a POPs information clearinghouse
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Promotion and research
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Public information, awareness and education
(Article 10) Parties shall promote the provision of
POPs information to the public and decision
makers, including training programs, public
participation in efforts to address POPs
Research, development and monitoring (Article
11): Parties shall encourage/undertake such
activities pertaining to POPs and their
alternative, and identifying new POPs
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Reporting (Article 15)
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Each Party shall report to the COP on measures
taken to implement the Convention (first reports
by end of 2006)
Each Party to provide to the Secretariat
information on quantities of POPs listed in Annex
A and B produced, imported, exported, and
where possible the States from which POPs are
exported
On line reporting is available in the Convention
web page.
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Effectiveness evaluation
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Effectiveness evaluation (Article 16):
COP will evaluate the effectiveness of
the treaty beginning 4 years after entry
into force based on reports and
monitoring data received
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Initiatives for first set of environmental
data collection is underway
First effectiveness evaluation at COP-4
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For more information
www.pops.int
Thank you!
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