About GEFPAS POPs
What is GEFPAS POPs about?
Unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants (uPOPs) are a major environmental concern for the Pacific region. Burning of rubbish and organic matter is a common practice throughout the Pacific islands. Persistent organic pollutants are produced by this poor management practice and released into the air in fire smoke.
Recognizing these issues, a Pacific POPs release reduction through improved management of solid and hazardous waste project was developed to improve poor waste management practices, the principal source of unintentionally produced POPs emissions in the Pacific region. The 5 year project, which commenced in June 2013, is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) , and co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), and executed concurrently with the Regional Solid Waste Management Initiative for the Pacific, through the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP). The project is being implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
This GEF-PAS project is an innovative, multi-faceted project which is aimed at assisting Pacific Small Island Developing States in meeting their obligations under the Stockholm Convention. The project will be implemented at the regional, national, and local levels to increase capacity for POPs management in organic waste management; healthcare waste management; waste oil management; chemicals import, storage and disposal; pesticide container management and the promotion of less toxic alternatives.
Goal
Reduction in POPs releases in the Pacific Island states through the introduction of integrated whole-system approaches to the environmentally sound management of solid and hazardous wastes
How will GEFPAS POPs help PICs?
The project focus is on reducing the emission of priority unintentional Persistent Organic Pollutants generated by poor waste management practices, and thus help meeting national Stockholm Convention obligations to improve the management of chemicals in countries in the Pacific region.
The project will execute activities to:
- Develop national and regional strategies to manage and prevent the unintentional release of POPs in the Pacific
- Developing stockpile and disposal strategies for pesticides and other dangerous chemicals
- Train Pacific waste-workers on solid and hazardous waste management
- Raise awareness on the proper disposal of hazardous waste
- Improve management of used oil through re-use
- Set up stewardship systems for used pesticide container management
- Implement pilot demonstrations on composting (in Niue), managing healthcare waste (Kiribati), recycling used oil (Samoa) and documenting chemical stockpiles (across the Pacific region).
Through the increased capacity of PICs and the increased adoption of whole-system approaches to waste management, the project will reduce dependence on waste management practices that lead to uPOPs emission and thus lead to the reduction of POPs releases.
This project proposes to work at the regional, national, and local levels to increase capacity for POPs management in organic waste management; healthcare waste management; waste oil management; chemicals import, storage and disposal. Outcomes will be achieved through regionally based vocational training, national training and local demonstration and pilot projects.
The project will strengthen and build the capacity required in participating countries to institutionalize the implementation of their Stockholm Convention "National Implementation Plans in a sustainable, effective and comprehensive manner, while building upon and contributing to strengthening country foundational capacity for the sound management of chemicals.