Persistent Organic Pollutants

Action Plan Development

Overview

A well-prepared action plan outlines, for the chosen priority topic, the specific goal and objectives to be achieved, related activities to be undertaken, associated responsibilities of the participants, time frames, and resource and evaluation details. UNITAR provides guidance and training to partner countries on action plan development and project planning and management with an emphasis on chemicals management subject areas. This is undertaken through Stockholm Convention-related projects as well as action plan skills-building in other areas of chemicals management.

Current Projects

UNITAR, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and its other Implementing Agencies, is providing national-level training, and technical and financial support to countries that have signed and/or are Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and have prepared and submitted GEF Enabling Activity proposals to develop/strengthen skills to undertake project planning, including action plan development.

Least Developed Countries: The UNITAR/UNDP Project, Action Plan Skills Building for 15 Least Developed Countries to assist with National Implementation Plan Development under the Stockholm Convention, is funded by the GEF, with support from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU). This project was created in response to an overwhelming number of country applications to the project Action Plan Training/Skills Building for 25 Least Developed Countries to assist with National Implementation Plan Development under the Stockholm Convention. The project, which is executed by UNITAR on behalf of UNDP, builds upon the experience gained and lessons learned through projects in some 40 countries to-date to assist them in developing a wide variety of action plans on priority topics of sound chemicals management.

Developing Countries and Countries with Economies in Transition: Support has also been received from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (formerly BUWAL) to support action plan skills building in 7 additional developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

Guidance

To view the GEF project summary for the project Action Plan Skills Building for 15 Least Developed Countries to assist with National Implementation Plan Development under the Stockholm Convention, please click here.

Revised guidance and training materials have been prepared and were widely distributed as part of the above projects.  In addition, "Decision Trees to assist with the Implementation of the Stockholm Convention"--an interactive tool to identify country obligations under the Convention--has been developed in partnership with UNEP. Download

Action Plan Helpdesk and FAQs

The Action Plan Helpdesk was created to assist all countries that have received UNITAR training on action plan development for National Implementation Plan development under the Stockholm Convention. It can be used to submit questions and comments to UNITAR on action plan development. The Helpdesk also includes a Frequently Asked Questions section that will be continuously updated.

Action Plan Country Workshops

Action Plan Skills Building for 15 Least Developed Countries to assist with National Implementation Plan Development under the Stockholm Convention

 
Action Plan Training/Skills Building for 25 Least Developed Countries to assist with National Implementation Plan Development under the Stockholm Convention

Developing Countries and Countries with Economies in Transition

Assistance

For details on assistance in this area, please see the Country Application Opportunities page.