Energy and Environment

Project Examples

Jamaica: Enabling activities to develop and implement Jamaica's National Implementation Plan (NIP) under the Stockholm Convention

Jamaica’s Country Cooperation Framework (2002-2006), the programming instrument used by the Jamaican government and UNDP to set out their planned cooperation, indicated that a major area of focus for UNDP was to develop the government’s capacity to implement national programmes and align national priorities with global commitments, including its commitments under the Stockholm Convention which the country signed in May 2001.

Jamaica requested UNDP and GEF assistance to design a National Implementation Plan (NIP) to meet the Convention’s policy, control and reporting objectives and build necessary local capacity to implement the plan.

With financial support secured through a GEF Enabling Activity, the government of Jamaica invited UNDP to join the national Steering Committee and provide substantive advice to:

• Designate the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) as the focal point for POPs in Jamaica, after which NEPA would take the lead in coordinating and implementing POPs activities under the Enabling Activity;
• Carry out a POPs stocks inventory and identify priorities for proper disposal;
• Ensure broad stakeholder engagement through a series of meetings to sensitize relevant stakeholders about POPs issues, their roles with respect to the national POPs inventory and future POPs management;
• Preparation of national POPs profiles and establishment of coordinating mechanisms for POPs specific activities, the aim being to strengthen existing local cross-institutional arrangements and establish a recognized national POPs management working group;
• Preparation of a National Implementation Plan (NIP); and
• The Convention ratification process.

Nicaragua: Initial Assistance to enable Nicaragua to fulfil its obligations under the Stockholm Convention on POPs

In order to build the necessary capacity to fulfil its obligations under the Stockholm Convention, the government of Nicaragua requested assistance from the GEF and UNDP in preparing a NIP which would describe the strategy by which Nicaragua intended to eliminate POPs sources and manage POPs contaminated sites.

The NIP would also cover wider issues important to SMC, such as the environmentally sound management of toxic chemicals, including preventing the illegal international traffic in toxic and dangerous products – measures called for in Chapter 19 of Agenda 21 adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.

With UNDP assistance, the government of Nicaragua was able to mobilize the resources necessary to initiate Enabling Activities with the result that:

• A NIP was drafted;
• Inter-sectorial coordination mechanisms were established;
• Capacity of CINCOP, the national coordinating group and focal point on POPs, to formulate, implement and manage the NIP was significantly enhanced;
• A national policy on the comprehensive management of hazardous substances and residues, with a particular emphasis on POPs, was adopted;
• Proposals for correcting regulatory deficiencies that hindered the management of hazardous chemical products, emissions and solid wastes containing POPs were drawn up;
• A preliminary POPs inventory was prepared;
• Required field monitoring and assessment capacities were defined;
• An infrastructure strengthening strategy to allow the management of hazardous residues, in particular those containing POPs was developed;
• Inter-sectorial networks and partnerships to implement the NIP were created/strengthened;
• Capacity at CENIDSUT - Nicaragua’s national centre for information and documentation on toxic substances – was strengthened; and
• A communications strategy to raise public awareness of POPs was drawn up.

Global: Action Plan Training and Skills Building for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to assist with National Implementation Plan Development under the Stockholm Convention

The GEF has funded two Medium-Sized Projects (MSPs) that target action plan training and skills building for NIP development. The projects are being executed by UNITAR, on behalf of UNDP, and in addition to GEF also receive funding from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU). The first project provided support for 25 Least Developed Countries (LDCs). It attracted such a high level of interest that a second project was approved to accommodate a further 15 countries.

In order to boost capacity and skills to adequately develop NIPs and related national Action Plans needed to comply with the Stockholm Convention, the projects provide national–level training designed to contribute towards human resource development by building skills in project planning and management, which may be applied to future chemicals management initiatives.

The projects encourage experience sharing amongst the 40 participating countries. Generation of a wide variety of POPs-focused SMC action plans, including prioritized country-driven follow-up activities, will mark the success of this initiative.

Country-level training sessions using project management and strategic planning tools adapted to the Stockholm Convention context were initially conducted in those countries that were the most advanced with the implementation of their NIPS (Cambodia, Yemen, United Republic of Tanzania, The Gambia and Ethiopia). Lessons learned from these countries’ experiences were used to refine the guidance and training materials and inform the structure of training sessions that were organized for the remaining 20 LDCs. At the same time, the cumulative lessons learned during execution of the 25 LDC project have served to further refine and inform the guidance and training provided to the additional 15 LDCs under the second project.

Final training sessions for the countries taking part in the first phase of the project were completed in the second quarter of 2006. The final monitoring and evaluation of this project will be conducted in 2007 and will allow for a full assessment of its impact. As has been the practice adopted during implementation, results of the monitoring and evaluation process will be used to inform and refine the ongoing work with the second round of countries.

UNDP Country Offices in each of the 40 participating countries have been involved in the elaboration of training with a view to ensuring that its impact is integrated within the context of each country’s environmental management framework.

Phase I - 25 LDCs Bangladesh, Benin, Cambodia, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Nepal, Samoa, Senegal, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia.

Phase II - 15 LDCs Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comores, Liberia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Tuvalu. Additional countries are being selected.

China: Alternatives to DDT usage in the production of anti-fouling paint

Anti-fouling paints are used to kill the spores and larva of marine fouling organisms that attach themselves onto boat hulls or the surfaces of submerged structures. When a ship’s hull becomes covered with barnacles and seaweed, its friction through the water, fuel consumption and corrosion all increase, with the result being a fall in navigational efficiency and profitability.

Before its use was banned by the Stockholm Convention, DDT was an important constituent of anti-fouling paints, although due to its short-lived action (1.5 years) it was only suitable for small and medium-sized vessels, such as fishing boats. Larger vessels used anti-fouling paints containing organotin-based TBT. Both substances are highly toxic and can contaminate oceans, enter the marine food chain, and endanger ecological balance and human health.

Today China is the only country that continues using DDT-based anti-fouling paint on its ships. It is estimated that the 300,000 fishing vessels which work along China’s 18,000 mile coastline use about 10,000 metric tonnes (MT) of anti-fouling paint, of which approximately half (5,000 MT) is DDT based. Since the amount of DDT in anti-fouling paint is about 5% this leads to an estimated 250 MT of DDT being released into the marine environment each year.
Commercial vessels operating in domestic waters use around 20,000 MT of TBT-based paint and larger ocean going vessels use 35,000MT of TBT-free paint, bringing China’s total annual use of anti-fouling paints to 65,000MT – of which 25,000 MT is either DDT or TBT-based.

With the financial support of the GEF, this UNDP project is assisting China’s efforts to end the use of DDT in anti-fouling paint and replace it with technically feasible, economically viable, and environmentally-friendly alternatives. The project also supports the long-term phase out of TBT-based paints.

To ensure sustainability of the conversion to sustainable alternatives to DDT anti-fouling paint, the project is reviewing and revising related regulations and standards, and conducting capacity building activities to create an enabling policy environment.

Successful experience in phasing out DDT will also help China establish a long-term mechanism to protect marine environment and human health from pollution by harmful anti-fouling systems and help support the country’s efforts to accede to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s “Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships”.

Overall project objectives:

• Eliminate the use of 250 MT/year of DDT as additives in the production of anti-fouling paint by conversion to non-toxic and environmentally friendly alternatives.
• Establish a long-term mechanism to protect marine environment and human health from pollution of harmful anti-fouling systems based on the technologies, experience and instruments obtained from the phase out of DDT-based anti-fouling paint.

Planned project activities and outcomes:

• Establishing project management institutions and building their operational capacity;
• Developing a Management Information System (MIS) and project website;
• Creating an enabling policy environment through capacity building by establishing or revising regulations, standards, and action plans for phasing out DDT-based anti-fouling paint and promoting sustainable alternatives;
• Promoting conversion from DDT-based anti-fouling paints to alternatives through the adoption of multiple means of technological support, policy induction and market regulation, as well as awareness raising and education;
• Using environmental education to promote awareness among key stakeholders and the public, improving their understanding of the harmful effects of DDT/TBT-based anti-fouling paints and the benefits of alternatives; and
• Obtaining and sharing lessons learned from effective monitoring and evaluation of the project’s implementation and its achieved results.

Global Project: Demonstrating and promoting best techniques and practices for reducing healthcare waste to avoid environmental releases of dioxins and mercury

The healthcare sector is a major source of dioxin emissions to the global environment, primarily the result of medical waste incineration and an unintended consequence of the choice of materials and practices used to improve human health. As developing countries strengthen and expand their healthcare systems in order to meet the MDGs, there is concern that associated releases of POPs, including dioxins, could rise substantially.

The Stockholm Convention encourages the promotion of waste treatment processes, techniques and practices that are as effective as medical waste incinerators but do not produce POPs. While cautioning that health concerns must be paramount, the Convention also recommends that consideration be given to the recovery, reuse and recycling of resources, waste separation and the promotion of products that generate less waste.

The GEF is therefore supporting a UNDP global – seven country, five region - demonstration project in Argentina, India, Latvia, Lebanon, Philippines, Senegal and Viet Nam to demonstrate and promote the replication of best environmental practices and techniques for healthcare waste management including installation and use of non-combustion waste treatment technologies. The project will work with existing rural and urban healthcare facilities and help implement comprehensive training programmes in order to remove barriers to national implementation and replication of these practices.

Building awareness of the links between healthcare waste management and public health (including occupational exposure), is an important project objective. Key partners in this area include national ministries, hospitals, health clinics, healthcare professionals, waste workers and the providers of waste management services (among the most vulnerable sub-populations), technology developers, training institutions and universities, as well as a broad range of environmental, health and community development NGOs at local, national and international levels. The project will give special focus to the health implications of dioxin exposure on vulnerable populations, such as women workers, pregnant women, and children.

In addition, a partnership formed with the University of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania will help the project develop, test and disseminate locally produced, affordable, healthcare waste treatment technologies that do not rely on incineration and are appropriate for the conditions found in much of Sub-Saharan African.

Another aspect addressed by the project focuses on the fact that in addition to unintentionally releasing dioxins, healthcare facilities in developing countries are also a source of the release of mercury, ¬a highly toxic persistent substance, especially when metabolized into methyl mercury ¬ into the atmosphere. Mercury-containing thermometers, blood pressure meters and other medical devices are in widespread use, and their breakage or improper disposal through incineration leads to mercury release. At the time of project development, none of the countries participating in this project had programs or policies in place to reduce mercury releases from their healthcare waste facilities.

Although mercury is not covered under the Stockholm Convention, a synergistic mercury component in included in the project, as it will benefit from the best environmental practices and techniques for healthcare waste management that the project will establish to reduce releases of POPs. The programme will also offer participating countries an opportunity to implement the 2005 World Health Organization (WHO) policy on mercury in healthcare that promotes, among other objectives, the proper clean-up, handling and storage of mercury wastes in healthcare settings. The project will introduce mercury-free medical devices in model facilities, evaluate their acceptability and efficacy, and develop and distribute awareness-raising and educational materials related to mercury.

The project has two principle cooperating agencies: WHO, the United Nations specialized agency on health, and the international NGO coalition Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), an international coalition of 443 organizations in 52 countries working to transform the healthcare industry so that it operates in an environmentally-friendly way. Both organizations bring to the project their global networks and guiding principles related to healthcare waste management, which include the promotion of sound healthcare waste management policies and practices and the prevention of health risks to patients, workers and the pubic associated with exposure to healthcare wastes. The project also involves a number of other project partners, such as the University of Illinois at Chicago Great Lakes Center (GLC) for Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health, which engages in international research and training in environmental and occupational health. At the national level a large number of country-based NGO groups and experienced experts as well as national stakeholders will contribute to the implementation of the project.