The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants An Overview

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The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic
Pollutants An Overview

• Rogerio Fenner
• WHO and UNEP Chemicals

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Convention Provisions

• Four 4 main areas of Convention
• General obligations
• Control provisions
• Intentionally Produced POPs (DDT)
• Unintentionally Produced POPs
• Stockpiles and Wastes (DDT)
• Procedure for adding new POPs
• Financial and technical assistance

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General Obligations

• Develop, within 2 years after entry into force,
  plans for implementing the obligations of the
  treaty
• Designate a National Focal Point for exchange of
  information on production, use and release of
  POPs and on alternatives
• Promote and facilitate public awareness and
  participation, education, research, development,
  and monitoring on all aspects of POPs and their
  alternatives
• Report to the COP on
• Measures taken by Party to implement the
  Convention
• Effectiveness of measures taken
• On quantities of POPs in Annex A, B C that are
  traded or released, and list of States involved

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Control Provisions for 10 deliberately produced
POPs

• Elimination is the ultimate goal
• Country-specific exemptions identified for 8
  POPs, (e.g. termite control) in public register
• Exemptions valid for 5 years - re-application
  possible
• Special provisions for PCBs and DDT

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ARTICLE 3 Measures to reduce or eliminate
releases Intentional production and use

• 1. Each Party shall
• (a) Prohibit and/or take the legal and
  administrative measures necessary to
  eliminate             
• (i) Its production and use of the chemicals
  listed in Annex A subject to the provisions of
  that Annex and
• (ii)   Its import and export of the chemicals
  listed in Annex A in accordance with the
  provisions of paragraph 1 bis of Article D and
• (b) Restrict its production and use of the
  chemicals listed in Annex B in accordance with
  the provisions of that Annex. (DDT)

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Specific Exemptions

• Aldrin - (local ectoparisiticide, insecticide)
• Chlordane - termiticide, (local ectoparisiticide,
  insecticide)
• Dieldrin - agricultural operations (2 years)
• Heptachlor - termiticide wood treatment
• HCB - pesticide solvent ( some non-pesticide
  applications)
• Mirex - termiticide
• Endrin, Toxaphene - none
• DDT - production of dicofol, disease
  vector control (acceptable purpose)

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Specific Exemptions (contd.)

• States on becoming a Party may register by
  informing secretariat (public register of
  countries)
• duration 5 years, unless Party specifies an
  earlier date or request for extension is approved
  by COP
• may be withdrawn by a Party at any time
• Parties using specific exemptions or
  acceptable purposes (DDT) provisions must take
  measures to prevent or minimize human exposure
  and releases to the environment

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Special provisions for DDTAcceptable purpose

• Production and use allowed - for disease vector
  control in accordance with WHO guidelines when
  locally safe, effective and affordable
  alternatives are not available
• Public DDT register - Registered Parties shall
  every 3 years report amount and conditions of use
• Continued need to use DDT - should be evaluated
  every 3 years

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Special provisions for DDT Alternatives

• Parties using DDT are encouraged to develop
  action plans to
• ensure that DDT is only used for vector control
• implement suitable alternative products, methods
  and strategies, including resistance mgmt to
  ensure the continued effectiveness of the
  alternatives
• take measures to strengthen health care and
  reduce incidence of disease

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Special provisions for DDT Alternatives (contd.)

• All Parties are encouraged to promote research
  and development of safe alternative products
  (chemical and non-chemical), methods and
  strategies for conditions that are relevant for
  Parties using DDT.

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Trade of intentionally produced POPs

• import and export are restricted to
• - environmentally sound disposal
• - Parties with specific exemptions or
  acceptable purposes (DDT)
• export to non-Parties may take place, but only
  under certain conditions and accountability
  requirements

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Financial Technical Assistance

• The Convention specifies that
• Developing countries and countries with economies
  in transition will need technical and financial
  assistance
• Regional and sub-regional centers will be
  established for capacity building and transfer of
  technology to assist countries in need
• Developed countries have undertaken to provide
  technical assistance and new and additional
  financial resources to meet agreed full
  incremental implementation costs
• Global Environment Facility (GEF) has been named
  as the principalal entity of the interim
  financial mechanism to handle funding of capacity
  building and other related activities

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Alternative approaches to POPs pesticides

• WHO and UNEP promote sustainable approaches in
  the reduction / elimination of the use of POPs
  pesticides- Workshops- Guidance materials-
  Information system on alternatives, expertise and
  studies/action plans to reduce / eliminate
  releases of POPs

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The POPs elimination process an opportunity!
Another pesticide
POPs pesticide
Another approach
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Issues

• Problems associated with POPs as well as
  alternative methods
• pesticide resistance
• pesticide failure
• stocks of (obsolete) pesticides
• costs of alternatives

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Factors that have led to IPM and IVM

• Pest resurgence due to disruption of natural
  enemies
• Resistance to pesticides
• Costs of pesticides
• Environmental pollutation
• Occupational poisoning
• Public opinion

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Costs of Pesticides

• Direct simple to calculate
• - Purchase of the product
• - Transport, storage, application (, disposal)
• - Rejection of produce due to residues
• Indirect or external often difficult to
  calculate
• - Health occupational poisonings,
  residues in food
• - Environmental pollution (soil and water)
• - Ecological loss of biodiversity
• - Resistance useful pesticides become
  useless
• - Cost of pesticide monitoring and
  regulation
• - Disposal of stocks

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IPM Toolbox - Examples

• Cultural practices e.g. soil tilling techniques
• Crop tolerance
• Timing of planting
• Crop diversity e.g. mixed cropping
• Hygiene and sanitation
• Biological control using natural enemies
• Biotechnical methods e.g. pheromones, sterile
  insect techniques
• Low-toxic, selective pesticides
• Quarantine restricting movement of pests and
  diseases
• Host plant resistance

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IVM Toolbox Examples (DDT)

• Environmental management (water etc.)
• Intermittent irrigation, drainage
• Traps (tsetse)
• Biological control, conserving natural enemies
• Bednets
• Quarantine
• Traditional methods (repellents, botanical
  insecticides, etc.)
• Hygiene
• House construction and village planning
• Community mobilization
• WHO Recommended Insecticides

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Many are involved
collaboration is necessary!
Labour unions
Pesticide companies
Local communities
Food industry Building industry
Farmers
POPs elimination process
Schools and universities
Consumers
Governments Public sector
Donors
NGOs
Research community
IGOs
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Cross-sectoral collaboration some important
issues

• Coherent (pesticide) policy required
• Pesticides spillover between sectors e.g.
  from public health to agriculture
• Integrating IPM and IVM requires local
  multisector involvement
• Pesticide resistance risks
• Obsolete stocks

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Ensure Effective and Sustainable Approaches

• Need for holistic, cross-cutting approaches,
  consistent regulations and cooperation between
  different sectors
• Policies and strategies within and between
  sectors must be consistent and mutually supportive

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NIPs and GEF

• To benefit from GEF Funds for the development of
  National Implementation Plans (NIPs), the
  countries should sign the Stockholm Convention
  (SC).
• The GEF encourages countries to ratify Stockholm
  Convention to benefit from GEF Funds to execute
  GEF Regional Projects on POPs Pesticides.
• The signature of SC does not obligate countries
  to follow the SCs provisions, but just
  facilitate the national implementation through
  their NIPs.

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NIPs and IVM

• The countries should ensure that their IVM
  programs are reflected in the Phase IV of their
  NIPs and
• They could benefit from the NIPs Funds to develop
  plans and strategies to meet the SC Obligations.

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WHO/UNEP Priorities

• The first priority is to reduce the reliance on
  DDT in Malaria Control through the implementation
  of IVM and/or IPVM programs adapted and
  appropriate to the region.
• The second priority is to eliminate the use of
  POPs pesticides in other diseases control i.e. in
  particular leishmaniasis and plague.

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Phase IV of NIPs

• In this step, countries should oversee the IVM
  programs undertaken in the country, specially
  those carry by IGOs and
• Benefit from the NIPs support, to develop plans
  and strategies on their IVM programs to meet the
  SC obligations, specially concerning DDT on
  Malaria Control.

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WHO/UNEP Activities

• Promote the incorporation of IVM/IPVM in the
  development and implementation of NIPs
• Promote multi-sectoral participation in
  development and implementation of NIPs as well as
  in other activities under the project
• Provide support through existing guidance
  materials and development of new technical
  guidance material
• Support countries in fund raising activities such
  as GEF Regional Projects on a specific POPs
  Issue.

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On-going work to develop new Guidance Documents

• Guidance on IVM for different ecosystems /
  ecological settings together with WHO (R. Bos)
  and
• Guidance for geographical mapping of malarious
  areas over agricultural and other activities to
  identify areas with potential for synergistic
  benefit from collaboration between IPM IVM
  activities.

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EMR Situation of SCs Signatures and
Ratifications
Signatory Countries
Parties
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EMR Situation of NIPs
UNEP
UNIDO
UNDP
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Situation in the East Mediterranean Region
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(No Transcript)
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Ratification of Stockholm Convention (SC)

• 41 Parties and 151 Signatory Countries
• The SC will enter into force 3 months after the
  50th ratification
• By ratifying the SC, the countries will have
  appropriate technical assistance, financial
  support and time period to meet the obligations
  under the Convention.

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WHO and UNEP

• Congratulate Egypt, Lebanon and UAE for their
  ratifications
• Invite Afghanistan and Libya to sign the SC in
  order to benefit from GEF Funds on the
  preparation of their NIPs
• Encourage the other countries to ratify the SC in
  order to promote a GEF Regional Project to reduce
  the reliance on DDT in the EMR

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Thank you !