by Mr. A. Halpaap

UNITAR, shared experiences which have been gained in the context of the UNITAR/IOMC Pilot Capacity Building Programme to Assist Countries in Implementing National Action Programmes for Integrated Chemicals Management. The programme is assisting four countries (Argentina, Ghana, Indonesia and Slovenia) in implementing a process to systematically identify and address chemicals management topics of priority concern through the involvement of all national stakeholders. Specific reference was made to experiences gained in Argentina, where activities are ongoing to address problems encountered with Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).

The process which is being tested in the pilot programme involves as a first step the preparation of a National Chemicals Management Profile and, subsequently, the organization of a National Priority Setting Workshop to identify chemicals management topics which are of priority concern from a country perspective. Under the auspices of an inter-sectoral National Coordinating Team, countries establish Technical Task Forces to address these identified priorities. Planning and implementation of Technical Task Forces activities is then done through the development of Plans of Action which provide a terms of reference for the work of the task forces by clarifying the objectives, organizing the work and identifying activities to be undertaken. Key steps for the development of the Plans of Action typically include the following: (1) clarifying and describing the problem; (2) defining short, medium and long-term Technical Task Force objectives; (3) identifying members of the Technical Task Force; (4) defining roles and responsibilities of Technical Task Force members and working arrangements; and (5) determining the task force lead institution, the secretariat and meeting arrangements.

In identifying the activities to be undertaken and establishing a workplan, some key issues which are taken into consideration include: the effectiveness towards the achievement of the Technical Task Force objectives, feasibility and likelihood of success, possibilities for measuring success, and necessary resources and expertise.

In the case of Argentina, a Technical Task Force on POPs has been established together with six other task forces. The task force is coordinated by Greenpeace Argentina and ten stakeholder groups are represented on the team. Concrete problems which are being faced in Argentina and which have been identified through the development of a Plan of Action point to the lack of information as to the current use and potential problems associated with POPs in Argentina. Although some POPs have been banned, there is no reliable information available as to production, use, human exposure and presence in the environment of POPs. Furthermore, there are currently no measures in place for control, monitoring or elimination of POPs in the country and no inventory nor plan exists for destruction of possible stocks of POPs.

The long-term objectives of the Technical Task Force therefore aim to determine through case studies levels of exposure and environmental contamination and to establish the necessary actions for risk reduction and elimination of the 12 internationally-identified priority POPs. Some of the short term objectives to address these challenges include identifying existing national and provincial regulations on POPs, assessing the extent to which they are implemented and identifying main sources of emission and production. Specific activities to be implemented include, inter alia, an assessment of the existing regulatory situation in the country with regard to the 12 POPs and the collection of information on impacts on health and environment associated with POPs.