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

This National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an 8-year nationwide sectoral document aiming at achieving the overall objective of the updated NIP of assessing the existing situation and elaborating national commitment and priority interventions to protect human health and environment from risks posed by both initial and new POPs. This document identifies short, medium, and long-term priority actions. However, additional interventions may be incorporated during its implementation. The identified national priorities for addressing POPs in Tanzania are (i) strengthening institutional and legal frameworks relevant to the control and management of POPs as well as chemicals and wastes; (ii) strengthening the capacity the monitoring POPs in the environment and humans including the identification of sites potentially contaminated with POPs; (iii) depreciation of unintentionally produced POPs (u–POPs) emissions from primary sources; (iv) promoting the adoption of environmentally sound technologies and practices including Best Available Techniques (BATs) and Best Environmental Practices (BEPs) on POPs; (v) strengthening the information capacity on the management of POPs; (vi) enhancing communication, education, and public awareness as well as engagement and networking of stakeholders.
The priorities for POPs management set out by this NIP regard (i) institutional and regulatory strengthening measures aimed at (a) reviewing and updating policies and regulatory framework to address POPs; (b) reviewing institutional arrangement for management of POPs; (c) enhancing capacity in information generation and dissemination; (ii) POP pesticides and DDT with regard to enforcement of legislation, laboratory infrastructure, assessment of the negative impacts of alternatives to POPs Pesticides and DDT, and institutional coordination on human health monitoring; (iii) PCBs with regard to disposal, legislation, programmes for raising awareness, cleanup and remediation, environmentally sound management, and contaminated sites monitoring; (iv) PBDEs with regard to control of imports and exports of goods/equipment containing PBDEs, and management of PBDE contaminated sites; (v) PFOS with regard to institutional and regulatory framework on PFOS, enhancement of infrastructure capacity, comprehensive national inventory, awareness campaign, and adoption of alternatives; (vi) unintentionally produced POPs (u-POPs) with regard to waste managemen of medical waste and municipal solid waste, and awareness raising; (vii) contaminated sites; (viii) information exchange and stakeholders involvement; (ix) public awareness, information and education through databases and programmes for raising awareness; (x) research, development and monitoring at all levels by (a) strengthening capacity for monitoring of POPs substances in air, water, food, living organisms and soil; (b) conducting risk assessment on public health impact; (c) strengthening regional and international cooperation on exchange of technical information to improve scientific knowledge and skills in POPs management.
As for Governance, the implementation of the NIP will fully involve a wide range of stakeholders from government departments, academic and research institutions, public institutions, development partners, the private sector, and Non-Governmental Organizations. The Vice President’s Office will coordinate the overall implementation of the Action Plan. The implementation of specific activities under the Action Plan will be done under the coordination of the identified lead agency. A National Steering Committee will (i) guide and monitor the actual implementation of the Action Plans; (ii) regularly review the implementation progress of the Action Plans; (iii) be responsible for making policy decisions on matters that go beyond the mandates of one institution or those, which attracts interests of many stakeholders. A Technical Committee with members from relevant sectors and institutions will provide technical inputs and facilitate the implementation of the Steering Committee decisions at various levels.