National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on POPs.

This National Implementation Plan (NIP) is a nationwide sectoral document compiled according to Article 7 of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) covering the implementation plans. This Plan is also supported by the ratification of two more conventions, namely Basel Convention and the Rotterdam Convention In the overall strategy to reach the objectives and phase-out POPs, Sudan has proposed a combination of measures including (i) Government’s involvement aiming at regulation reforms and law enforcement efforts; (ii) supportive local actions; (iii) market instruments, like subventions and tax-breaks; and (iv) extensive international cooperation including cofunding. National priorities regarding the implementation of the POP management and phase-out actions are (i) tackling the stocks of the obsolete POP pesticides, the contaminated containers and the contaminated soil around the pesticide stores; (ii) tackling the uncontrolled waste burning and all the subsequent waste management activities to reduce the dioxin and furan emissions in the densely populated areas; (iii) reduce and eliminate the risks related to the PCB containing electrical equipment; and (iv) preventing DDT use for malaria and vector control through extensive regional cooperation with WHO.
The overall objective of the National Implementation Plan (NIP) is to create sustainable capacity and ownership in Sudan to meet the country’s obligations under the Stockholm Convention, in particular (i) eliminate the use of eight pesticides mentioned in Annex A, which means that Sudan will not allow the re-use or re-introduction of these substances, which are no more used and, further, will actively seek cooperation and means to manage and eliminate there existing obsolete stocks; (ii) identify, label and remove from use the equipment still using polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and make efforts to reduce the possible exposures and to control risks as far as this equipment is still in use; (iii) restrict the application of DDT in disease vector control when in utmost need only and apply it in accordance with the World Health Organization recommendations, while actively continuing the national research work on alternative methods and substances to replace DDT and seeking an entry to the DDT in the register of exemptions as established by the Stockholm Convention; and (iv) identify the known and assumed sources of the production of dioxins and furans and put efforts to reduce the unintentional production by adopting the Best Available Technologies (BAT) and the Best Environmental Practices (BEP).
To make agriculture more productive and sustainable, main actions shall be directed to (i) update the pesticides related regulatory framework to include stricter rules regarding the handling of pesticides; (ii) support the concentration of the obsolete pesticide stocks for final destruction, and support the pesticide related soil cleaning operations; (iii) enhance and upgrade the skill of people who manage the stock piles of POPs pesticides; (iv) promote research on impact (social and ecological) and development of alternatives for POPs; (v) amend the existing legal instruments and strengthen the Pesticides Law enforcement; and (vi) strengthen the capacity to handle POPs pesticides and contaminated sites.
In order to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the Plan envisages (i) raising awareness on POPs pesticides with particular reference to waste and contaminated sites through (a) preparation of training materials with a popular contents and practical, pragmatic aspects of POPs pesticides; (b) media campaigns (TV, radio, newspapers); (c) training of agricultural extensionists; (d) training of farmers, farm workers, foremen, local field management in applying alternatives methods of crop protection; and (e) introducing pesticide issue and the related environmental aspects in the appropriate curricula of universities and institutes.
To increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters, the objective is to reduce and/or eliminate where as possible, the release of unintentionally produced POPs especially rural areas and outskirts of urban areas by (a) reducing the releases from residential combustion through the promotion of the so-called improved stoves (natural gas stoves, introduction of LPG, and later also with LNG, as a domestic fuel, solar panels); (b) improvement of landfill waste management and the sound management of hazardous waste; and (c) make the textile industry more sustainable. Other suggested interventions regard the correct and sustainable disposal of wastewater at both the domestic and industrial levels.
As for the Governance, the adopted strategy is to keep all the efforts coordinated and monitored by one institution within the Government, i.e. by the Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources (HCENR) but leave enough space and resources for the sectors involved to guarantee a smooth and non-frictional work. Hence HCENR will be the lead agency in the implementation of the NIP with the following TOR (i) undertake regular monitoring and evaluation of the NIP implementation; (ii) update the NIP after a period of five years or earlier if the prevailing political situation in the country necessitates so; (iii) coordinate the execution of action plans; (iv) facilitate fund raising for the project proposals in the present NIP; (v) facilitate information exchange with General Secretariat of the convention and the other relevant agencies; (vi) act as a national focal point for all information database; and (vii) create linkages with international agencies to gain technical support and any recent advancement in the POPs issues.