Suriname signed the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants on May 22nd, 2002 and is in the process of developing a National Plan for the Implementation of the Stockholm Convention with financial assistance from GEF and under the guidance of UNDP.
The project “INITIAL ASSISTANCE TO ENABLE SURINAME TO FULFILL ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE STOCKHOLM CONVENTION ON PERSISTANT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS (POPs) “is a country-driven exercise, executed by the Ministry of Labor, Technological Development, and Environment (ATM) of the Republic of Suriname. The POPs Enabling Activity Project requires active stakeholder participation and counts on high-level commitment by the national governmental institutions and their subsidiaries, inter-ministerial bodies, municipalities, NGOs, academia, and private sector.
This project is executed as a UNDP project and the Ministry of Labour, Technological Development, and Environment (ATM) is the agency with the overall responsibility for the coordination of activities related to global environmental management and the environmental conventions to which Suriname is a party. The Ministry of ATM is responsible for the execution of the POPs Enabling Activity Project.
The Stockholm Convention has a link with the two other international conventions namely the Rotterdam Convention en the Basel Convention. The objectives of these 3 (three) conventions demonstrate these links as follows:
- Basel Convention adopted in 1989 and is for the elaboration of controls on transboundary movement of hazardous wastes.
- Rotterdam Convention adopted in 1998 – Protecting developing countries by offering them the opportunity of the PIC for formally obtaining and disseminating decisions concerning the import of hazardous chemicals.
- Stockholm Convention adopted in 2001 – a. Elimination and restriction of production and use of intentionally produced POPs and b. Minimization and ultimate elimination of unintentionally produced POPs.
Knowledge and detailed information of the Basel Convention is inevitable and therefore this capacity building for all national stakeholders. This activity will enable Suriname to implement the NIP through the Post-NIP.
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