UNDP - GEF Portfolio

Sound Management of Chemicals

UNDP’s cross-cutting work in the GEF focal areas of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) not only supports countries in their efforts to manage chemicals in a sound manner in order to protect human health and the environment, but also encourages national governments and project managers working in non-chemical specific GEF focal areas to consider whether Sound Management of Chemicals (SMC) is relevant to their project.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

POPs are a group of organic compounds produced and released into the environment by human activity. Some are used as pesticides (e.g. DDT), some as industrial chemicals (e.g. PCBs), while others are the unwanted by-products of chemical or combustion processes (e.g. Dioxins and Furans).

The subtle long-term toxicity of POPs is a cause of particular concern since even small quantities can wreak havoc in human and animal tissue, causing nervous system damage, immune system diseases, reproductive or developmental disorders, and cancers. Once introduced into the environment, POPs – as their name suggests – are persistent, retain their toxicity and only degrade after decades. They can also travel long distances and are found in remote areas far from their original source of application.

These environmental dangers were recognized by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants which came into force in May 2001 and currently counts more than 120 signatories. The Convention provides the foundation for global efforts to address the threats posed by POPs and targets the elimination and reduction of an initial group of 12 priority POPs, known as the ‘Dirty Dozen’.

The GEF is the principle entity entrusted with the Convention’s financial mechanism and the its goal under the POPs focal area is defined as ‘protect human health and the environment by assisting countries to reduce and eliminate production, use, and releases of POPs, and consequently contribute to capacity development for the sound management of chemicals.’

UNDP, in its role as a GEF Implementing Agency, assists developing countries and countries with economies in transition to develop their capacity to manage, reduce and eliminate the use of POPs and to meet their obligations under the Convention. UNDP helps countries address national challenges and key constraints in advancing the sound management of POPs by:

Campaigning and mobilization – providing advocacy and supporting awareness building for POPs management
Analysis – assisting countries in the identification of innovative practices, policies and institutional reforms that help them put in place effective POPs management structures
Monitoring – providing assistance to countries to track progress on the management, reduction and elimination of POPs
Operational Activities – connecting countries with the knowledge, experience and resources required to build capacity necessary to tackle POPs management and elimination issues

GEF Public Website Persistent Organic Pollutants

Persistent Organic Pollutants Focal Area Strategy and Strategic Programming for GEF-4

UNDP Public Website on Elimination and Reduction of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

UNDP Publication “Managing Chemicals for Sustainable Development – POPs”

UNEP Public Website on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Ozone Depleting Substances

Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) damage the ozone layer by causing it to thin. This poses a significant danger to the environment and human health as it allows increased levels of ultraviolet radiation to reach the earth’s surface. Increased UV radiation leads to higher incidence of skin cancers and eye cataracts, can compromise the immune system and threatens the ecological balance of watersheds, agricultural lands and forests. In 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer formally recognized the threat of ODS and to date the Convention has been ratified by more than 190 Parties.

Following the guidance of the Vienna Convention (1985) and the Montreal Protocol (1987), the GEF made ozone depletion a focal area because the phase-out of ODS offers a highly effective means of achieving immediate, and future, global environmental benefits. The GEF funds projects that enable countries (Russian Federation and nations in Eastern Europe and central Asia) that are not eligible for funding from the Multilateral Fund (MLF) for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol to phase-out ODS. Although the GEF is not linked formally to the MLF, its activities are intended to complement, enhance and add to its work.

Between 1991 and 2004, the GEF allocated more than US$ 177 million (which mobilized an additional $182 million in co-financing) to support ODS phase out projects in countries with economies in transition (CEIT). These projects have contributed to the fact that since the Montreal Protocol came into effect, the atmospheric concentrations of some of the most important ODS (such as CFCs) have either leveled off or decreased.

UNDP has worked for well over a decade to help countries phase out the use of ODS and meet their commitments under the Montreal Protocol by providing:

Capacity development – assisting governments to develop more effective national policies and programmes to meet ODS elimination targets
Technical assistance, training and demonstration programmes – providing technical support and access to information regarding ozone-friendly alternatives to ODS
Technology transfer – facilitating access to the best available alternative technologies and related technical assistance

UNDP is also one of the implementing agencies of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol. Since 1991, the MLF-ODS portfolio (approximately US$ 500 million) managed by UNDP has been supporting about 100 countries through approximately 1,900 projects in the area of industrial production, refrigeration servicing and mobile air-conditioning, fire protection and agricultural production

When fully implemented, the UNDP projects supported by the MLF and the GEF will have prevented over 63,000 tonnes of ODS being released into the earth’s atmosphere.

The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol

The Ozone Secretariat

GEF Public Website Ozone Depletion

UNDP Public Website on Ozone Layer Protection and the Montreal Protocol