Planning

"An action plan outlines the strategy and substance of a regional programme, based on the region's particular environmental challenges as well as its socio-economic and political situation."
Find more information on Action Plans in the Regional Seas Programme web site, where it is possible to download: Guidelines and principles for the preparation and implementation of comprehensive action plans for the protection and development of marine and coastal areas of regional seas.

Introducing POPs issues in Action Plans

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants provide general obligations and control provisions for intentionally produced POPs, unintentionally produced POPs as well as for stockpiles and wastes.

General Obligations

• Develop an implementation plan.
• Designate a National Focal Point
• Promote and facilitate a wide range of public information, awareness and education measures.
• Encourage and undertake research, development, monitoring and cooperation 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
  • data/estimates for total quantities of POPs traded and lists of states involved.

Intentionally Produced POPs

Chemicals listed in Annex A and B will be either eliminated or restricted and trade will be restricted. For these chemicals the convention provides exemptions for defined quantities, specific exemptions (designed for each country and for each chemical), and other exemptions. Specific exemptions for a particular chemical have a duration of five years after the Convention enters into force and might be withdrawn by a Party at any time.

• Parties with regulatory and assessment schemes for industrial chemicals and pesticides, shall, in conducting assessment of:
  • new substances, take measures to regulate with the aim of preventing the production and use of new POPs.
  • In-use substances, consider the screening criteria for candidates for addition to Convention (Annex D).
• These provisions will allow the identification of possible POPs as soon as possible in these assessment programs.

For PCBs all Parties must:

• cease production of PCBs.
• Eliminate the use of in-place equipment containing PCBs (transformers, capacitors, etc.) by 2025. (Admitted some specific exemptions).
• Make determined efforts to identify, label and remove from use equipment containing more than 0.005% (50 ppm) of PCBs, with higher priority given to equipment containing higher levels of PCBs.
• Not trade in PCB equipment, except for the purpose of environmentally sound waste management.
• Not recover liquids with more than 0.005% of PCBs for reuse in other equipment, except for maintenance and servicing.
• Achieve the environmentally sound management of PCBs waste as soon as possible, but not later than 2028.
• Report to the COP every five years on their progress in eliminating in-use equipment, and the environmentally sound management of wastes.

COP will review progress toward the 2025 and 2028 targets at 5 year intervals, taking into account reports from Parties.

For DDT all Parties must:

• eliminate production and use, except Parties that notify the Secretariat for their intention to produce or use DDT in disease vector control programmes (an acceptable purpose in Annex B).
  • production and/or use must be in accordance with WHO recommendations and guidelines on use of DDT, and only when locally safe, effective and affordable alternatives are not available to the Party
  • these Parties will be included in a special publicly available DDT register maintained by the Secretariat.
• Promote research and development to seek alternatives to DDT.
• There are two specific exemptions allowed for DDT related to its use as an intermediate in manufacturing other chemicals.

Each Party in the DDT register must:

• report on quantities used, conditions of use, and relevance to the Party's disease management strategy.
• Develop national action plans to :
  • confine use of DDT to disease vector management
  • explore alternatives to DDT, and
  • take measures to strengthen health care and reduce incidence of disease.
• DDT use will be allowed until technically and economically feasible alternative products, practices or processes are available to countries that are currently reliant on DDT.
• COP will review at its first meeting and every three years thereafter to see whether DDT continues to be needed for disease vector control.

Unintentionally produced POPs

Parties must:

• develop action plans within two years of entry into force of the Convention, and implement their plans to identify, characterise and assess releases of chemicals in Annex C. The action plan shall include the following:
  • evaluate current and projected releases, including development and maintenance of sources inventories and release estimates.
  • Evaluate efficacy of Party's laws and policies to manage such releases.
  • Develop strategies to reduce releases.
  • Promote education and training on strategies.
  • Review success of strategies every five years and report to COP.
  • Develop a schedule for implementation of action plan.
• Promote application of available, feasible and practical 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, product and processes to prevent formation and release of POPs in Annex C.
• Promote, and as provided for in an action plan, require use of best available techniques (BAT) for new sources within the following industrial source categories (Annex C, Part II) that have the potential for comparatively high formation and release of POPs to the environment:
  • waste incinerators (municipal. hazardous or medical waste; sewage sludge);
  • cement kilns firing hazardous wastes;
  • pulp production involving chlorine;
  • thermal processes used in metallurgical industry (secondary production of aluminium; copper or zinc; sinter plants in iron an steel industry).
• Phase in any BAT requirements for such new sources as soon as practicable but no later than four years after entry into force.
• Promote use of best environmental practices (BEP) for these new sources.
• Parties must promote us of BAT and BEP for:
• new sources within categories of Annex C, Part III, and
• existing sources within all categories of Annex C, Parts II and III.

POPs in stockpiles and Wastes

Parties must

• develop and implement strategies to identify stockpiles, products and articles in use, and wastes containing POPs.
• Manage stockpile in a safe, efficient and environmentally sound manner until they are deemed to be wastes.
• Take measures to handle, collect, transport and store wastes in an environmentally sound manner and dispose of of these wasted in a way that destroys POP content, or otherwise in an environmentally sound manner taking into account international rules, standards and guidelines.
• Not allow recovery, recycle, reclamation, direct reuse or alternative uses of POPs.
• Not transport these materials across international boundaries without taking into account international rules (e.g. Basel Convention).
• Develop strategies for identifying contaminated sites and , if remediation is attempted, do it in an environmentally sound manner.

Action Plans in the framework of the regional Seas Programme that have already taken into account initiatives to address POPs:

Helsinki Convention (Baltic Sea).

The Baltic Sea Joint Comprehensive Environmental Action Programme Recommendations For Updating And Strengthening. 1998.

The OSPAR Convention, the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic – Oslo and Paris conventions (adopted 1974, revised and combined into OSPAR Convention 1992, in force 1998).

OSPAR Action Plan 1998-2003 (update 2000).

Strategy with regard to Hazardous Substances.

Activities of OSPAR July 1998 - June 1999. Implementation of the OSPAR Action Plan 1998-2003.

Barcelona Convention

Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) Phase II
Action Plan for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Sustainable Development of the Coastal Areas of the Mediterranean (MAP Phase II), as adopted by the Contracting Parties at the Conference of Plenipotentiaries held in Barcelona, Spain from 9 to 10 June 1995. It includes the Barcelona Resolution and the Priority Fields of Activities for the period to the year 2005, as adopted by the Contracting Parties at the same Conference of Plenipotentiaries. (phaseii.zip, WordPerfect6.1, 38KB).

Strategic Action Programme to address pollution (2001). (doc file).

PAME, the Programme for the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment of the Arctic Council.

Regional Programme of Action for the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, September 18, 1998. (pdf file)

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