National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

The Federated States of Micronesia does not intentionally produce or use any POPs chemicals, and there are no future plans that would involve such POPs production or use. Current stockpiles of obsolete POPs and other chemicals in the FSM have been addressed through an AusAID/SPREP project (POPs in PICs), and most of these have to be removed from the country for disposal in Australia. There are no proper systems in place for dealing with the safe storage of any other chemical stockpiles and hazardous wastes which might arise in the future, so the NIP includes a proposal to develop such a facility in each FSM state. The FSM’s National Implementation Plan consists of seven specific action plans as follow: (1) Legal Framework for Safe Management of POPs & Other Hazardous Substances; (2) Hazardous Waste Storage, Disposal, and Contaminated Site Clean-Up; (3) Phasing Out Existing PCBs and Disposal; (4) Public Education and Awareness; (5) Pesticide Safety; (6) Protection of the Marine Environment from Oil and Other Chemical Spills from Sunken and Grounded Vessels; (7) Capacity Building.
The NIP is divided into five sections starting with the executive summary. The introduction provides background on the Stockholm Conventions, details about POPs, and then explains the process of developing the FSM’s NIP. The third section includes general information about the FSM, provides a description of the local institutions, policies, and laws that are relevant to the nation’s POPs situation, and last, gives an assessment of the POPs issues in the country. Section four includes commentary on the implantation strategy employed in the Actions Plans, with a description of the “cross-project” budget considerations for the national and state level units which will have the responsibilities for project oversight (the national level) and activity implementation (the state level). The final section of the NIP is comprised of six annexes with additional information on the twelve POPs chemicals, and listings of individuals involved with the POPs project in the FSM.