National Implementation Plan on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

This NIP on Persistent Organic Pollutants is a nationwide sectoral document aiming at reassessing national priorities concerning the Stackholm Convention on POPs and to update earlier action plans to reflect progress made in implementation and to account for newly listed POPs in the Convention. This NIP has been developed through mobilizing the participation of relevant stakeholders to ensure the reduction and elimination of the usage and release of POPs in order to guarantee the effective implementation of the objectives and activities on the management of POPs. It includes (i) the measures that need to be adopted by the Government through each of the responsible parties and (ii) the necessary resources (human, financial and technical) required for its proper implementation in order to fulfill the provisions of the Stockholm Convention and protect the Lebanese environment and population from exposure to POPs. The creation of a National Implementation Unit (NIU) at the Ministry of Environment staffed with a team dedicated specifically is planned to implement the NIP. Among the others NIU’s responsibilities there are (i) the compilation of databases relevant to assessing and controlling POPs; (ii) upgrading POPs inventories on regular basis as prescribed by the Convention; (iii) dissemination of information about POPs; (iv) integrating POPs management activities with general hazardous chemical management activities; (v) promoting green and sustainable chemistry; (vi) training of appropriate specialists (e.g., customs officer, border control officers, engineers, technicians) responsible for management of POPs.
Strategic objectives envisaged by the document are (i) strengthen the legal and institutional framework for POPs Chemicals Management; (ii) manage the import and export, production, use, recycling and disposal of industrial POPs; (iii) control and gradually reduce unintentionally released POPs by identifying, assessing and remediating potential contaminated sites including water bodies; (iv) manage the import, trade, use, and disposal of POPs pesticides; (v) promote research related to POPs chemicals; (vi) Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting.