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

Namibia’s National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2014) identifies, priorities and classifies issues of concern under the following categories. 1) General Chemicals Management Priorities: lack of Awareness of Chemicals Management Issues; Lack of Coordinated Approach to Chemicals Management Issues; Poor Legal and Administrative Infrastructure for Chemicals Management; Poor Enforcement of Existing Laws; Ineffective Systems for Chemicals Data Management; Lack of Project Sustainability after Project Termination; Insufficient Application of Non-Mandatory Mechanisms for Improved Environmental / Chemicals Management; Lack of Research in Chemicals Management Issues; Inadequate Technical Infrastructure for Chemicals Management 2) Pesticide Priorities: Ineffective Legislation for Pesticide Management; Lack of Awareness of Proper Pesticide Management Practices; Lack of Knowledge on Exact Quantities and Locations of Obsolete Pesticides; Poor Management of Obsolete Pesticides and Pesticide Waste; Lack of Alternatives of Pesticides, Including DDT. 3) DDT Priorities: Continued Use of DDT for Malaria Vector Control. 3) PCB Priorities: Inadequate Knowledge of PCB-status in the country; Lack of Awareness of PCB Management Issues; Poor Management of Decommissioned and Non-Working Transformers; Inadequate Legislation for PCBs Management E. 4) U-POPs Priorities: Need for Improved Medical Waste Management; Poor Management of Hazardous Waste; Poor Management of Contaminated Land; Need for Improved Fire Prevention Measures in Homes; Poor Waste Management; Lack of Application of BAT / BEP among industries xi; 5) E-Waste Priorities: Lack of Awareness of E-waste management; Unsustainably High Volumes of E-Waste Being Generated; No Legal and Technical Infrastructure for Sound Management of E-Waste; Insufficient Data on E-Waste.
Specific Action Plans for General Chemicals Management Issues include: To develop and implement a communications strategy for chemicals management issues; Develop and implement mechanisms for coordinating chemicals management issues; improve the legal and administrative infrastructure for chemicals management, including establishing a Chemicals Management Unit in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism; Improve enforcement of existing environmental and chemicals-related legislation; To develop a chemicals information management strategy one year ; To develop mechanisms for ensuring project sustainability, etc. Specific Action Plans for Pesticide Priorities Goal Duration Budget (US$): To finalise the proposed new pesticides legislation; To develop and implement an awareness raising programme for proper pesticide management drawing from the Chemicals Communications Strategy mentioned under Category A; To conduct a detailed, national obsolete pesticides inventory; To implement sound environmental management of obsolete pesticides and pesticide waste through safeguarding and disposal: To build national capacity for Integrated Pest Management. Specific Action Plan for DDT Priority: To implement Integrated Vector Management Programmes for malaria control, in order to reduce reliance on DDT; To participate in regional project to promote and demonstrate alternatives to DDT in vector management. Specific Action Plans for PCB Priorities: To conduct a detailed, national PCB inventory; To develop and implement an awareness raising programme for PCBs, drawing from the Chemicals Communications Strategy mentioned under Category A; To implement sound environmental management of decommissioned, nonworking and PCB-contaminated transformers; To develop PCB-specific legislation. Specific Action Plans for U-POPs Priorities: To install state-of-the-art incinerators; To improve hazardous waste management; To conduct a detailed inventory of contaminated land in Namibia, and initiate site clean-up on at least three areas; To improve waste management in Namibia, etc. Specific Action Plans for E-Waste Priorities Goal Duration Budget (US$): To develop and implement awareness-raising; To improve management of E-waste; etc.