UNDP BiH held a series of trainings on the management and disposal of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), within the project "Environmentally Sound Management of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Industrial and Hazardous Waste Sectors", which is funded by the Government of Sweden. The goal of these trainings is to strengthen institutional capacities in the country to advance the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on POPs, which Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified in 2010.

Vesna Mitrić from the Institute for Protection and Ecology of the RS, stated: "The importance of the POPs project is unquestionable, and the implementation of the entire project will improve the management of POPs substances, raise the awareness of employees in institutions, but also of citizens, and thus reduce environmental pollution."

The trainings covered six thematic areas on the management of prohibited POPs chemicals and their waste: 

1. International treaties on the environmental protection, 
2. Lifetime of POPs substances in the environment, 
3. Health and occupational risk assessment, 
4. POPs pesticides and their inventory, 
5. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), industrial sites and remediation, and
6. Best available techniques and environmental practices for POPs substances.

Azra Bašić, Head of the Department for Hazardous Waste Management at the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism, stated: "It is important to point out that within the framework of the POPs project, a revised inventory of PCBs in BiH is being prepared, which consists of an inventory of contaminated locations and a list of equipment that contain PCBs. It is estimated that there are approximately 332 t of PCB waste in BiH, whereas 29 locations that are potentially contaminated with POPs are examined. Creating a revised inventory of PCBs is a prerequisite for further steps in the final cleaning of contaminated sites, which is its greatest importance."

The trainings were attended by 102 civil servants from 36 institutions at all levels of government in BiH, who are also involved in drafting the necessary legislation in this important area. The trainings were conducted by experts from the RECETOX Institute, at Masaryk University, Czech Republic, which is the regional technical center for the implementation of the Stockholm Convention.

Katerina Šebkova, RECETOX Institute expert, said: "There is progress, but it would be necessary to make progress in the area of a legal and institutional framework. We are aware of the complexity of political administration of BiH, but the shortcomings can be overcome. There are solutions and there are no excuses.”

UNDP BiH will continue to provide support to the authorities in BiH under POPs project in prioritizing locations containing PCB hazardous waste, especially considering that the global deadlines for the environmental disposal of this banned industrial chemical is until 2025.