Fourth meeting of the Executive Board of the Special Programme

The fourth meeting of the Executive Board of the Special Programme to support institutional strengthening at the national level for implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, the Minamata convention and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) took place on 29-31 January 2019, in Geneva, Switzerland.

The main objective of the meeting was to review the eligible and complete applications submitted for the third round of applications for funding from the Special Programme. The launch of the third call for applications took place on 23 February 2018. The deadline for applications was 21 June 2018.

The Executive Board approved 18 projects amounting to US$ 4,703,849. The approved projects were selected taking into account the project’s merits, regional balance and priority to countries with least capacity, taking into account the special needs of least development countries and small island developing states, as listed below:

Albania: Strengthening sound chemicals and waste management in Albania, demonstrating improvement of Health Care Waste (HCW) management.

Angola: Strengthening Angola’s National Chemicals and Waste Management Programme by establishing sustainable, integrated, and coherent national structure with emphasis on Private Sector participation

Bolivia (Plurinational State of): Special Program for the Strengthening of National Capacities for Chemical Substances and Hazardous Waste Management in the Plurinational State of Bolivia

Cambodia: Institutional strengthening in Cambodia for efficient and coordinated implementation of the chemicals and waste management international agreements

El Salvador: Institutional strengthening for El Salvador in the implementation of the Basel, Stockholm, Minamata and Rotterdam Conventions and the Strategic Approach for the Management of Chemical Products at the International Level

Eswatini: Institutional Capacity development and strengthening for the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste in the Kingdom of Eswatini

Ethiopia: Enhancing Ethiopia’s Institutional Capacity for Sound Management of Hazardous Wastes and POPs Chemicals and Improving Reporting Obligation under Basel and Stockholm Conventions

Iran (Islamic Republic of): The Implementation of Cleaner Production Practices to Manage Chemicals and Waste in Oil Refinery

Kazakhstan: Strengthening the National Capacity of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Regulate Chemicals Through Ensuring Compliance with Obligations Under International Multilateral Environmental Agreements

Micronesia (Federated States of): Strengthening Institutional Capacity for the Chemicals Management in the FSM

Nauru: Strengthening the national capacity for integrated chemicals and waste management in Nauru

Pakistan: Strengthening of national legislation and capacity building of stakeholders for sound chemicals and hazardous waste management in Pakistan

Palau: Strengthening the national institutional capacity for chemicals and waste management in Palau

Palestine (State of): Strengthening the institutional capacity of the State of Palestine for sound waste and chemicals management and fostering stakeholder buy-in under the BRS Conventions and supporting process towards ratification of the Minamata Convention

South Africa: Phasing out of lead in paint and the development of an action plan for SAICM emerging contaminants (lead in paint, HHPs, EPPPs, EDCs, & Cd)

Tajikistan: Strengthening institutional capacity for national implementation of the Stockholm and Basel international conventions and building capacity for accessing the Rotterdam Convention in Tajikistan

Tunisia: Institutional strengthening and capacity building project towards achieving Environmental Sound Management (ESM) of hazardous wastes and chemicals at the industrial level as well as enhancing compliance and implementation of chemicals and waste Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) including Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions

Vanuatu: Strengthening the National Institutional Capacity for Chemicals and waste management in Vanuatu

Additional information on the outcomes of the meeting is available in the meeting report.