National implementation plan for the Stockholm convention in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The general objective of the project “Enabling Activities to Facilitate Early Action on the Implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Bosnia and Herzegovina” (“the Project”) is to strengthen the capacity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to manage persistent organic pollutants (POPs) – chemicals regulated under the Stockholm Convention, strengthen the ability to develop the National Implementation Plan (NIP) for the implementation of the Convention and to help BiH in developing and submitting the NIP to the Secretariat of the Convention. POPs are organic non-biodegradable chemicals that are released into the environment as a result of human activities, primarily industry. Some of these substances are unwanted byproducts of industrial processes or combustion. POPs are organochlorine compounds that include all organic compounds which contain one or more chlorine atoms. Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified the Stockholm Convention on POPs on 30 March 2010 and committed to meeting the requirements of the Convention. This text includes provisions and objectives that shall be applied on all territorial and administrative entities present on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina (including the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republica Srpska and Brcko District).
The main objective of the Convention is to take measures for the elimination or restriction or prevention of the production, import, export and use of all manufactured POPs and the continuous reduction to minimize the occurrence of these pollutants in the environment, and the elimination of emissions of unintentionally produced POPs. Pursuant to Article 7 of the Stockholm Convention, each Party shall, within two years from the date of entry into force of the Convention, draft a plan for the implementation of its obligations under this Convention (National Implementation Plan - NIP). For the purpose of the Project implementation, the National Executive Agency in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina has established six inventory groups and has assigned their tasks according to the TOR: POPs Pesticides Inventory Group; Polychlorinated biphenyls inventory group (PCB Inventory Group); Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDEs) and perfluoroctansulfonate (PFOS) inventory group (PBDEs/ PFOS Inventory Group); Inventory group for emissions from the unintentional production of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and PCBs (PCDD/PCDF Inventory Group); Environment, Health, Research and Development Group; POPs legislation and socio-economic development group (POPs Legislation Group).