Guidance Module
Guidance on NIP implementation
File Name: Draft guidance on socio-economic assessment for national implementation plan development and implementation under the Stockholm Convention
Description: The guide has three main objectives:
1. To give guidance on Socio-Economic Assessment and provide a compelling rationale for its adoption in the development and execution of national implementation plans for the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants
2. To familiarize the teams responsible for developing and executing national implementation plans with the process and methods of conducting Socio-Economic Assessment (SEA) such that they are able to oversee the work of specialists;
3. To provide a practical toolkit setting out how collection of relevant socio-economic data and their analysis can be set alongside analysis of technical and other issues in order to inform decision-making within the planning and executing of a national implementation plan. Regarding the first objective the guide sets out the conceptual framework of the importance of social and economic indicators in the context of the plan implementation. The second objective describes in order to carry out a SEA, the various methods and tools, with reference to the kinds of data that provide insight, both for baseline and impact evaluation analyses. With respect to the third objective, the guide systematically positions the SEA within the process of decision-making at any stage of the development of the national implementation plan and within the planning cycles to take action on persistent organic pollutants.
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File Name: Draft guidance on calculation of action plan costs, including incremental costs and action plans for specific persistent organic pollutants
Description: In developing, reviewing, and updating a national implementation plan (NIP) for the Stockholm Convention, a number of action plans (or “strategies” or other similar plans) can be developed. The implementation of each action plan will typically require a range of resources, such as human resources, facilities, equipment, services, and materials. Accurate costing of action plans will greatly facilitate national implementation as well as an understanding of the true costs of implementing the Convention globally. In order to facilitate a calculation of action plan costs, UNITAR, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention, has developed the following guidance, which presents a number of considerations that a Party may wish to take into account.
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File Name: General guidance on POPs inventory
Description: .TThe purpose of this guidance document is to provide a general introduction to the inventory approach used in the detailed inventory guidance, which the Secretariat has developed to assist countries in making inventories for certain POPs. This guidance is also intended to assist Parties in developing inventories for POPs for which a detailed guidance document is not available. The detailed inventory guidance documents should be used in conjunction with this document. In addition, when developing an inventory, the detailed guidance documents may be used as an example on approaches and information sought.
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File Name: Draft guidance on information collection for industrial persistent organic pollutants
Description: . The identification production and needs for industrial POPs throughout their life cycle is a challenge when listing new chemicals in the Convention. The purpose of this document is to look at the inventory process from a different, sector-specific angle, to assist country experts and authorities in addressing all relevant POPs anticipated to be of interest for a certain sector at one go, to avoid several processes that follow from addressing POPs substance by substance. It is hoped that this will make the inventory process more comprehensive and save in time and costs in both the administration and the industry. This document focuses on intentionally used applications for industrial POPs. It does not address presence of POPs in unintentional application due to e.g. use of recycled materials. Draft guidance on information collection for industrial persistent organic pollutants
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File Name: Guidance on preparing inventories of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)
Description: The purpose of this document is to provide Parties with guidance on the establishment of inventories of HBCD. The target audience is national focal points of the Convention and those involved in the process for NIP review and update, in particular the task teams and coordinators responsible for establishing the inventory.
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File Name: Guidance on preparing inventories of PBDE including decaBDE
Description: . The main purpose of this document is to provide guidance to Parties of the Convention on the establishment of inventories of the POP-PBDEs listed under the Convention in 2009 and 2017. A brief reference is also made to HBB to facilitate Parties understanding on this chemical and on the potential relevance of undertaking an inventory for it. This document will be of use to national focal points for the Convention, the coordinator of the NIP review and update process, and task teams responsible for establishing the inventory. It will also be of interest to other stakeholders concerned with the elimination of POP-PBDEs and HBB.
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File Name: Guidance on preparing inventories of PCN
Description: The objective of this document is to provide Parties with guidance on the establishment of inventories of the PCNs. The document should be used by national focal points of the Convention and those involved in the process for NIP review and update, in particular the task teams responsible for establishing the inventory. The document and inventory will also be of interest to other stakeholders concerned with the elimination of PCNs.
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File Name: Guidance on preparing inventories of PCP
Description: .The purpose of this document is to provide the necessary information and guidance to policy makers to enable them to fulfil their nation’s obligations under the Stockholm Convention.
Specifically, this guidance provides details in relation to three areas:
(a) How Parties to the Stockholm Convention can develop inventories of PCP for their nation;
(b) The chemical/non-chemical alternatives to PCP based on current uses; and
(c) Effective policy measures that could be used to aid the phase-out of PCP and safe management of stockpiles of PCP and PCP treated goods.
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File Name: Guidance on preparing inventories of SCCPs
Description: The purpose of this document is to provide Parties with guidance on the establishment of inventories of the SCCPs. The target audience is national focal points of the Convention and those involved in the process for NIP review and update, in particular the task teams and coordinators responsible for establishing the inventory.
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File Name: Guidance on preparing inventories of hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD)
Description: The objective of this guidance is to provide Parties with guidance on the establishment of inventories of HCBD, which was listed under the Convention in 2015. The inventory guidance should be used by official contact points or national focal points designated by Parties for the Convention and those involved in the process for NIP review and update, in particular the task teams responsible for establishing the inventory. The document and the inventory will also be of interest to other stakeholders concerned with elimination of HCBD.
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File Name: Guidance on preparing inventories of dicofol
Description: The purpose of this document is to provide the necessary information and guidance to policy makers to enable them to fulfil their nation’s obligations under the Stockholm Convention. Specifically, this guidance provides details in relation to how Parties to the Stockholm Convention can develop inventories of dicofol to assist in the elaboration of a national implementation plan for dicofol. The structure and organisation of the inventory is always dependent on local circumstances and priorities of the country. Therefore, this guidance is not prescriptive but rather provides ideas for tailoring the approach.
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File Name: Draft guidance for development of PCB inventories and analysis of PCB
Description: To achieve the goals of the Stockholm Convention for PCB, “homework” has to be completed first, starting with a reliable PCB assessment, followed by choice of an appropriate technology for destruction of PCB. Throughout the process, priority setting has to be applied.
In order to do so, complete inventories have to be prepared using clear definitions and goals since errors or gaps in the estimation of the PCB amount will result in insufficient characterization of the problem and not achieve the goals of elimination.
The objectives of the guidance are as follows:
• Support implementation of Article 6 of the Stockholm Convention;
• Allow assessment of progress towards elimination of PCB (2025 and 2028 goals of the Stockholm Convention);
• Parties to demonstrate the elimination of PCB in all equipment by 2025 and the environmentally sound management of PCB until 2028 or report progress towards elimination of PCB.
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File Name: Toolkit for Identification and Quantification of Releases of Dioxins, Furans and Other Unintentional POPs under Article 5 of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
Description: The Toolkit for Identification and Quantification of Releases of Dioxins, Furans and Other Unintentional POPs is intended to assist parties in establishing release inventories of unintentional POPs that are consistent in format and content, ensuring that it is possible to compare results, identify priorities, mark progress and follow changes over time at the country level, as well as regional and global levels.
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File Name: Guidance on preparing inventories of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds
Description: As is mentioned in the note by the Secretariat on the implementation plans (UNEP/POPS/COP.10/10), the annex to the present note sets out draft guidance on preparing inventories of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds. The guidance also covers perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride. The present note, including its annex, has not been formally edited.
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File Name: General guidance on considerations related to alternatives and substitutes for listed persistent organic pollutants and candidate chemicals (POPs)
Description: The aim of the present guidance document is to assist in the analysis of products and processes that could serve as alternatives to listed persistent organic pollutants or candidate chemicals. The guidance focuses primarily on the chemicals listed in Annexes A or B, i.e., intentionally produced substances. It may, however, also be applied in identifying and evaluating techniques that could reduce releases of unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants (Annex C). Moreover, the guidance may be useful in the consideration of specific exemptions or other measures to eliminate or restrict persistent organic pollutants, or more generally in the consideration by Parties of policies to reduce the risk to human health and the environment posed by hazardous substances.
The guidance provides a general description of the issues to be considered in identifying and evaluating alternatives to listed persistent organic pollutants and candidate chemicals. It is not intended as a determination of the feasibility or availability of alternatives to specific substances. Neither is it intended to overrule any national or regional guidelines or criteria. It is intended for use by the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee and by Parties when considering the listing of new persistent organic pollutants. It may also be useful for manufacturers or users of listed persistent organic pollutants and candidate chemicals in identifying and deploying alternatives.
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File Name: Draft guidance on alternatives to dicofol
Description: This document provides more information on the alternatives to dicofol that was described in the risk management
evaluation.
It focuses on the major crops where dicofol was used for control of mites to assist Parties in finding appropriate approaches that could be used to replace dicofol. These alternatives have been implemented in some countries and regions and are considered technically feasible.
However, some of chemical alternatives have hazardous characteristics, including meeting the FAO/WHO criteria for highly hazardous pesticides, or a profile similar to that of dicofol.
Therefore, reference to an alternative in this document is not a recommendation or
endorsement as the alternatives have not been evaluated for their suitability and applicability in all situations.
Before being used, alternatives will need to go through the appropriate national evaluation and approval processes.
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File Name: Guidance on flame retardant alternatives to pentabromodiphenyl ether (PentaBDE)
Description: .The objective of this report is to review possible alternatives to PentaBDE. The available data illustrate that there are alternative flame retardants commercially available which are less hazardous than CPentaBDE. It should be the overall target to replace harmful substances with safer options, but it is also important to point out that the alternative flame retardants presented need to be evaluated based on their range of application. A case by case assessment will be necessary to find the best suitable alternative for a specific use. The data presented in this report are just suggestive and not conclusive, and it is crucial to search for further health and environmental data to get a better understanding of toxicological and ecotoxicological effects of the alternatives presented.
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File Name: Consolidated guidance on alternatives to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and its related chemicals (PFOS)
Description:The objective of the current document is to provide a summary of information on currently known alternatives to PFOS, its salts, PFOSF and their related chemicals. The ultimate goal is to enhance the capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition to phase-out those chemicals, taking into account the need for time to phase-in alternatives to some of the uses and the fact that alternatives to certain uses may not be currently readily available in all countries.
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File Name: Draft guidance on alternatives to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds
Description:The current document is a consolidated guidance on alternatives to PFOAand its related chemicals. The objective of the current document is to provide a summary of information on currently known alternatives to PFOA, its salts, and PFOA-related compounds. The ultimate goal is to enhance the capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition to phase out PFOA, its salts, and PFOA-related compounds, taking into account the need for time to phase in alternatives to some of the uses and the fact that alternatives to certain uses may not be currently readily available in all countries. In this document, the availability, suitability (including technical feasibility, accessibility, health and environmental impact), and implementation of alternatives are described.
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File Name: Preliminary draft guidance on alternatives to short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs)
Description:This guidance document compiles chemical alternatives and non-chemical alternatives to SCCPs, mainly for the uses listed as specific exemptions in Annex A to the Convention. Parties may wish to consider the information available in this guidance when phasing-out the use of SCCPs. The guidance was prepared based on the information contained in the documents adopted by the POPs Review Committee (UNEP/POPS/POPRC.12/11/Add.3 and UNEP/POPS/POPRC.12/INF/7). Other reports and information on alternatives to SCCPs have been taken into account.
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File Name: Preliminary draft guidance on alternatives to decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE)
Description:This guidance document compiles chemical alternatives and non-chemical alternatives to decaBDE, mainly for the uses listed as specific exemptions in Annex A to the Convention. Parties may wish to consider the information available in this guidance when phasing-out the use of decaBDE. The guidance was prepared based on the information contained in the documents adopted by the POPs Review Committee (UNEP/POPS/POPRC.11/10/Add.1 and UNEP/POPS/POPRC.11/INF/6). Other reports and information on alternatives to c-decaBDE have also been taken into account.
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File Name: Guidance on alternatives to hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)
Description:The present document provides an update on the information previously published on chemical and nonchemical alternatives to HBCD in Guidance on alternatives in Guidance for the inventory, identification and substitution of Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and Draft guidance on best available techniques and best environmental practices for the production and use of hexabromocyclododecane listed with specific exemptions under the Stockholm Convention.
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File Name: Report on the assessment of alternatives to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride
Description:The purpose of this document is to provide an updated assessment, based on information submitted by Parties and Observers in response to the request for information, as outlined in Decision SC-8/5, of the availability, suitability and implementation of alternatives currently available for PFOS and related compounds, with specific reference to the acceptable purposes and specific exemptions outlined above. This will focus primarily on the availability, suitability and implementation of alternatives to PFOS, its salts and PFOSF (Chapter 2) as well as consideration of the of POPs characteristics of chemical alternatives to PFOS, its salts and PFOSF (Chapter 3).
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File Name: Guidelines on best available techniques and provisional guidance on best environmental practices relevant to Article 5 and Annex C of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
Description: The Guidelines provide the necessary guidance to Parties to minimize their releases of POPs from unintentional production pursuant to Article 5 of the Convention.
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File Name: Guidance on best available techniques and best environmental practices for the use of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and their related compounds listed under the Stockholm Convention
Description: This guidance document has been developed and updated to guide Parties in their actions to prevent or reduce releases of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts, PFOSF and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds from production and use under the specific exemptions and acceptable purposes listed in the Convention.
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File Name: Guidance on best available techniques and best environmental practices relevant to the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) listed under the Stockholm Convention
Description:This guidance document has been developed and updated to guide Parties in their actions to prevent or reduce releases of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) from the uses/applications under the specific exemptions listed in the Convention.
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File Name: Guidance on best available techniques and best environmental practices for the use of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) listed with specific exemptions under the Stockholm Convention
Description:This guidance document has been developed and updated to guide Parties in their actions to prevent or reduce releases of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) from use under the specific exemptions listed in the Convention.
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File Name: Guidance on best available techniques and best environmental practices for the production and use of pentachlorophenol listed with specific exemptions under the Stockholm Convention
Description:This guidance document has been developed and updated to guide Parties in their actions to prevent or reduce releases of pentachlorophenol (PCP) from production and use under the specific exemptions listed in the Convention.
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File Name: Draft guidance on identification and management of sites contaminated with persistent organic pollutants
Description:This draft guidance document has been developed to guide Parties in their actions to minimize and prevent releases of POPs from contaminated sites.
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File Name: Guidance on the sampling, screening and analysis of POPs in products and articles
Description: This document provides guidance on monitoring (sampling, screening and analysis) of industrial and unintentional POPs in products in use and in recycling streams for POPs listed from 2009 to 2019. This guidance does only address POP pesticides to the extent that they were used in wood, leather and textile treatment in particular pentachlorophenol (PCP).
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File Name: Guidance on the labelling of products or articles that contain POPs – initial considerations
Description: The purpose of this document is to provide guidance for Parties considering labelling or other arrangements to ensure that the products and articles containing HBCD (Annex A, part VII) or PCP (Annex A, part VIII) can be easily identified throughout their life-cycle. In addition, the document contains general considerations on benefits of labelling equipment, substances and mixtures containing POPs. Some existing classification, labelling and communication examples have been presented as examples. Challenges on communicating and preserving information on chemicals (including in POPs) in the supply chain in products and articles to protect human health and the environment has also been addressed under Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) emerging issue “Chemicals in Products”. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 discuss the labelling requirements that are currently in the Stockholm Convention (i.e. HBCD, PCP and PCBs). Chapter 5 contains considerations on extending labelling provisions nationally or in the listing of new POPs in the future.
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File Name: Guidance on the control of the import and export of POPs
Description: The objective of this guidance document is more specifically to help Parties understand and implement their obligations to control of import and exports. The document aims in particular to address the chemicals initially listed in Annexes A, B and C to the Convention, whether as chemicals or contained in mixtures and/or in articles.
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File Name: Guidance for strengthening regulatory framework and voluntary agreements for regular monitoring of products or articles that may contain new POPs
Description: The objective of this guidance document is to assist Parties in developing a regulatory framework and monitoring concept that can facilitate monitoring of products and articles that contain POPs. The document includes guidance on key issues to consider for the enforcement of regulations under such a framework. With the development of a framework for monitoring and identification of new POPs, the provisions of the Stockholm Convention on new POPs can be enforced. This in turn protects consumers from the risks arising from the exposure to POPs and increases their confidence in products on the market. If appropriately communicated to the consumers and by possibly including them in a bidirectional information exchange, their awareness on new POPs can be increased and might contribute to overall awareness on POPs.
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