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Africa Institute: Basel and Stockholm Conventions Regional Centre Business Plan 2016 - 2019 Pretoria SOUTH AFRICA
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Africa Institute: Basel and Stockholm Conventions Regional Centre Business Plan 2016 - 2019
Pretoria SOUTH AFRICA
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Basel and Stockholm Conventions Regional Centre for English Speaking African Countries
Name of the Regional Centre: Africa Institute for Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous and Other Wastes, Pretoria Business Plansubmitted by: Name: Dr Taelo Letsela Job title: Executive Director Date: 30th September, 2015
Contacts: Africa Institute 473 Environment House Cnr Steve Biko and Soutpansbeg Private Bag X447 Pretoria South Africa Telephone: +27-12-399-9861 +27-12-399-9862 Email: [email protected] [email protected]
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Africa Institute since its inception in 2009 has continued to increase in its scope, mandate and
expertise to handle and serve its member states and other stakeholders. It is now being recognized
around the world as a viable organization on the topic of waste and chemicals management.
Accordingly the Institute is increasingly becoming visible regionally and internationally.
It has hosted successfully a number of UN and other stakeholders meetingin Pretoria, South Africa
as well joint meetings in other countries with the member countries. The Institute is pursuing an
agenda which is not commonly understood or largely neglected of chemicals management. This
situation is worse in developing countries and in Africa in particular because of the competing
developmental challenges that dominate the public agendas. Yet by ratifying the international
treaties such as Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam, the African countries are committing themselves
to working together with the international community to address the issues that are being covered
by the conventions.
The Institute serves as the regional delivery mechanism around which the English speaking African
countries pursue these common goals and ideals. It provides a coordination mechanism and a
common rallying point. Within this framework the member states map their goals and together
attempt to address them. Having identified priority areas, the Institute then mobilises the resources
from the international funding mechanism to meet these countries half way. Without this
international support it would be very difficult for most of the countries in the region to implement
their obligations under these conventions. This would have the unintended effect of defeating any
gains made through the development agenda as environmental and health impacts would continue
to rise with disastrous consequences in these countries.
It is expected that the positive image that the Africa Institute is gaining regionally and
internationally will persuade the potential members that were still sceptical that it is indeed a
viable organization that they need to join and work with to advance the course of environmentally
sound management of waste and chemicals. This positive growth of the Institute is encouraging and
increasingly gives confidence that it is becoming an important player in the coordination of waste
and chemicals cluster conventions in the region.
The business plan for the financial period 2016 – 2019 presents both projects that have been
secured with funding for implementation and those that are in the pipeline for funding. The
business plan also details strategies that the Institute will pursue to mobilise more donors and
prospective member countries to its work and mandate. The constraints highlighted can be
arrested if all stakeholders, in particular member states get a buy in into the vision and aspirations
of the Institute. The resources at its disposal, including those within member states and its partners
will be fully utilized to meet its mandate and consequently that of its member countries. In the first
place the benefits of this regional delivery mechanism must be felt at the national level to have a
meaningful effect.
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1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND This Business plan is prepared by the Africa Institute in response to requirements of the Basel Convention for all regional centres to develop a Business Plans for the period 2016 – 2019. The plan presents the activities that the Council of the Institute has identified and endorsed for the coming years. Once identified, the Institute began the process of resource mobilization and indeed some have already been funded through projects. The Africa Institute for the Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous and Other Wastes is both a Basel Convention Regional Centre (BCRC) for English speaking African Countries and a Stockholm Convention Regional Centre (SCRC). It has been established pursuant to Article 14 of the Basel Convention and Article 12 of the Stockholm Convention. It has been established as an intergovernmental organization based in Pretoria, South Africa. It began operating in October 2009. As an intergovernmental organization, the Africa Institute is governed by the Council comprising all the countries that have ratified its founding statute and established it. There are currently eight countries that have ratified the Africa Institute agreement, namely: Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa and Zambia. The geographical scope of the Africa Institute includes 23 English speaking African countries. To this end the Institute continues to serve all countries in its geographical region. The countries that have not ratified the Africa Institute agreement are encouraged to continue with the ratification process in the meantime. This gesture is done to sensitize and rally those countries to appreciate the benefit of joining forces with others through the Institute as the regional delivery platform. Since the Africa Institute is a regional body, expertise to further the objectives of the Convention is sourced from the expert institutions based in member countries in the region and beyond. The Basel and Stockholm conventions that the Institute is coordination in the region have a common objective, which is to protect human health and environment from hazardous waste and the POPs respectively. The strategic goals of the Institute as a regional centre are:
a) To develop the capacity of members to manage hazardous wastes and chemicals. b) To develop capacity of members to participate and influence international negotiations
related to hazardous wastes and chemicals c) To enhance implementation of the hazardous wastes and chemicals conventions d) To enhance regional research and monitoring of chemicals and hazardous wastes. e) To facilitate access to and transfer of technologies for sound management of hazardous
wastes and chemicals f) To disseminate information on environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes
and chemicals. g) To mobilize resources (financial and technical) from donors on behalf of member
countries) to implement the hazardous wastes and chemicals conventions.
The Basel, Stockholm and the Rotterdam Conventions have since recognized the synergies that exist between them. A synergies workshop was held jointly by the three secretariats in October 2009 in Pretoria, on enhancing collaboration, cooperation and coordination amongst the three conventions. These initiatives bear testimony to the existence of the synergies among these
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conventions and the on-going restructuring process of the three secretariats of these conventions in keeping with the decisions taken by the simultaneous extra ordinary COPS in Bali, Indonesia. These synergies continue to be transformed into implementable programmes, projects and activities to benefit country Parties. The Africa Institute, because it is owned and maintained by the same countries, is best suited to implement these programmes and projects and thereforebringabout the desired synergistic effect in the region. It is clear that the only real impact will occur when the countries work together. The problems being addressed are complex and transnational in nature and thus cannot be handled by any country in isolation. 2.0 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The objective of this business plan is to create a road map for programmes, projects and activities to be implemented by the Institute, during this period. In this regard, the goals, objectives and activities are derived from the agenda that was set by the member countries. The time frame for this plan runs within a period of 5 years. It is envisaged that most of the activities can be completed as planned resources permitting. 3.0 CONSTRAINTS AND RESOURCES Constraints
a) Lack of legal provisions on POP Pesticides production, screening, importation, use and disposal of their waste.
b) Weak enforcement mechanisms on the management of waste c) Lack of legal provision focusing on public awareness on health and environmental risks d) There is no legal provision for monitoring hazardous waste and their effects to human and
environment e) Lack of awareness by customs officers on import/export matters f) Inadequate information on the past production, use, import and export g) Lack of specialized skills and analytical equipment h) Inadequate training on pesticides inspectorate services i) Lack of guidelines on risk minimization procedures for handling, transportation, storage
and disposal j) Lack of resources including financial resources k) Lack of storage facilities and disposal facilities l) Inadequate research on impacts to human health and the environment.
Resources
The Institute has access to resources in member countries especially those that have ratified its founding agreement. These resources include human as well as equipment. These resources are within the member countries’ academic institutions, government departments, parastatals, non-governmental organization, the private sector and the international cooperating partners. Various professional staff and equipment in these institutions provide an array of expertise to the Institute. The expertise includes technical knowhow and analytical capacity. The resources are accessed by entering into an agreement between the Institute and the institutions in member countries. The Institute has received letters of support from the University of Pretoria and the Tshwane University of Technology. It continues to be in discussions for collaboration with other institutions in the various member countries.
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4.0 ACTIVITIES AND STRATEGIES Activities In order to address the needs and aspirations of the member countries, the Institute identified and developed programmes and projects which are implemented in the member countries. Specific activities are implemented in the respective member countries to achieve the desired results. Each project is meant to address different aspects of the hazardous waste stream. Overlaps between projects may be acceptable as long they reinforce each other, while duplication of projects will be avoided. Projects under the Institute’s purview are funded by several donors including: Sweden through KEMI, UNEP, UNIDO,BRS Secretariat, GEF, Minamata Interim Secretariat, The EU, GTZ and SAICM. It should be noted that some of the projects will run through and beyond this business planning period, while others will be completed before the end of this period.In this regard, all the elements (activities, timeframes and outputs) of this plan will be derived from these projects and therefore what is presented here is merely indicative. New projects will also be included and highlighted in order to ensure continuity of resources availability for member countries. The Institute is also pursuing new and emerging issues in the field of hazardous wastes, mercury pollution and e-waste. The Institute is and shall continue to develop programmes and projects to address issues.
NAME OF THE PROJECT/ACTIVITY
CONVENTION BENEFICIARY PARTY
(IES)
ESTIMATED BUDGET (US$)
FUNDING SOURCE
(S)
TIME FRAME (YEAR) BC SC RC
Demonstration of ESM of e-waste in three African countries
√ √ Namibia, Lesotho and South Africa
25,000 UNEP/SBC - PACE
2014-2016
Promotion of BAT and BEP in the waste open burning sector in the COMESA-SADC countries, in response to the Stockholm Convention on UP-POPs
√ Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zambia
6,615,000 GEF 2014-2017
Monitoring and Evaluation of the LDCs NIPs implementation project in the ECOWAS, COMESA and SADC sub-regions. To measure progress and impact of implementation of the NIPs
√ Benin, Burkina Faso,
Central African
Republic, Chad,
Gambia, Guinea,
Liberia, Mali,
Mauritania, Sao Tome
& Principe, Senegal,
Sierra Leone, Togo,
Angola, Lesotho,
Mozambique,
Swaziland, Tanzania,
Burundi, Djibouti, D.R.
Congo, Ethiopia,
Rwanda, Sudan,
Uganda
80000 GEF 2011-2016
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NAME OF THE PROJECT/ACTIVITY
CONVENTION BENEFICIARY PARTY
(IES)
ESTIMATED BUDGET (US$)
FUNDING SOURCE
(S)
TIME FRAME (YEAR) BC SC RC
PCB Elimination in the SADC regionfor ensuring that PCBs are managed in an environmentally sound manner by 2025
√ √ Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Seychelles, Tanzania, and Zambia, Zimbabwe
7,710,000 GEF 2016-2019 (Awaiting approval by GEF)
Improving chemicals management in selected African countries
√ √ √ Lesotho, Botswana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and 4 others to be determined
267,750.34
Sweden (KEMI)
2015-2017
Environmentally Sound Management of POPs in electronic and electrical equipment in the SADC region
√ √ Botswana Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia
8, 137, 500 GEF 2016 -2020 (under development)
South Africa PCB elimination project √ √ South Africa 10,000,000
GEF 2016 – 2021 (Under development)
Regional Minamata initial assessment project under the Minamata Convention
√ √ Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland
876, 000 GEF 2015 - 2019
Regional project on the Development of National Action Plans for the Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining in Africa under the Minamata Convention
√ √ Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Kenya, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
4,000,000 GEF 2016-2019 (Awaiting approval by GEF)
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NAME OF THE PROJECT/ACTIVITY
CONVENTION BENEFICIARY PARTY
(IES)
ESTIMATED BUDGET (US$)
FUNDING SOURCE
(S)
TIME FRAME (YEAR) BC SC RC
South African Minamata initial assessment project under the Minamata Convention
√ √ South Africa 750,000 GEF 2016 – 2018 (Under development)
Strategies
STRATEGIES WHAT WILL BE DONE BY WHEN (TIMELINE)
Endorsement/involvement/need identification of the beneficiaries (list applicable activities/projects or entire plan)
What will be done to involve/ get endorsement from the beneficiaries?
Appointment of national focal point by each government to act as an effective conduit for communication on strategic matters and therefore facilitate communication both at national and international levels.
Partnership with member countries institution to increase diversity of expertise.
Establish and maintain a database of experts networking on chemicals and hazardous waste management so as to increase the regional pool of experts.
Integrate chemicals and hazardous waste management into the national governments planning process
Introduction of the subject of hazardous waste in major research and higher learning institutions.
2015-2019
Identification of potential donors/funds/agencies
What will be done to identify the potential funding sources? Hold regular and timely briefing sessions with
2015-2019
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donor agencies represented in Pretoria. Lobby member countries to network with donors
on behalf of the Institute and through their annual assessed contribution show to donors the country commitment to the Africa Institute.
Network with other partners including UN agencies for long term projects and thus establish sustainable funding mechanism for chemicals hazardous waste management.
Preparation of grant proposals
(List the area in which project proposals will be prepared and submitted)
Emerging issues in the field of hazardous wastes, mercury pollution and e-waste.
Continue with projects to address public education and communication on hazardous waste issues
Enforcement and regulatory compliance on chemicals and hazardous waste management
GHS implementation Media personnel awareness and orientation to
chemicals and hazardous waste management
2015-2019
Any other activities... The Institute is a member of the WHO Chemicals Risk Assessment Sub-Network of Developing Countries
Member of PACE
Member of the BAT/BEP Forum for Africa
Member of the SAPReF
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5.0 Countries Served by the Regional Centre
1. Angola 2. Botswana 3. Eritrea 4. Ethiopia 5. Gambia 6. Ghana 7. Kenya 8. Lesotho 9. Liberia 10. Malawi 11. Mauritius 12. Mozambique 13. Namibia 14. Nigeria 15. Rwanda 16. Seychelles 17. Sierra Leone 18. South Africa 19. Swaziland 20. Tanzania 21. Uganda 22. Zambia 23. Zimbabwe
Strategic Plan
2013 – 2020
Pretoria
South Africa
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Supported by the Government of Finland
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• To protect the human health and the environment from the hazardous wastes and chemicals in the member states
Vision
• To build the capacity within the English speaking African region to implement effectively the multilateral environmental agreements that address the sound management of hazardous wastes and chemicals thereby preserving the environment for future generations employing education and transparency of operations to build an agency that will serve as a model throughout the African region.
Mission
• Team work: The Institute embodies the spirit of working together, achieving together and succeding together.
• Professionalism: The Institutes believes in ethical, honest and accoutable approach that inculcates unity in diversity and respect for all regardless of colour, creed, religion and origin.
• Transparency: The Institute believes in open, fair, honest, accountable and equitable sharing and exchange of information.
• Commitment: The Institute believes in dedicated, aspirational, hardowrking, results oriented and time consciuos approach.
Values
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Background The Africa Institute for the Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous and Other
Wastes commonly known as the Africa Institute is both a Basel Convention Regional Centre
(BCRC) and a Stockholm Convention Regional Centre (SCRC) for English speaking African
countries. It has been established as an Intergovernmental Organization (IGO) based in
Pretoria, South Africa. It is housed within the premises of the Department of
Environmental Affairs of the Government of South Africa. It began operating in October
2009. The supreme governing body of the Institute is called Council. It is composed of the
representatives of all the member countries that have completed the process of ratifying its
founding Agreement. There are altogether 23 countries that comprise the English speaking
region in Africa (Fig. 1). These include Angola and Mozambique that are commonly known
as Portuguese speaking African countries.
Figure 1: The Africa Institute member countries
Africa Institute
Angola Botswana
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Ghana
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Nigeria
Rwanda
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Swaziland
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
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As an Intergovernmental Organization, the Africa Institute is established through a treaty
that member countries from within the English speaking region must ratify to become full
members. This treaty outlines the establishment of the Institute, its management and the
obligations of the countries that it serves. There are now eight countries that have ratified
this treaty and others are at different stages of the process. The current countries that have
completed the process of ratification are: Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria,
Tanzania, South Africa and Zambia.
The geographic coverage of the Africa Institute is very large (Fig. 2). Most of its members
are situated in southern and eastern Africa yet also there are 5 countries that are in West
Africa.
Figure 2: Africa Institute region
The Africa Institute is established in accordance with Articles 14 of the Basel Convention
and Article 12 of the Stockholm Convention. These Articles make provision for the
establishment of regional centers to assist Parties in the developing countries and
countries with economies in transition to fulfill their obligations under them through a
collaboration that is facilitated by a regional centre. Such a regional centre has to be
situated within the region being hosted by one of the countries that are served.
The common purpose of the two Conventions is to protect the human health and
environment from impacts arising from hazardous wastes and hazardous chemicals
respectively. As a regional center the mandate of the Africa Institute is therefore in
consonance with that of the Basel and Stockholm conventions and the Institute provides a
coordination mechanism within the region.
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Africa Institute
BRS Secretariat
Donors
Member States
Service Providers
Research agencies
Overseas partner
agencies
Consultants
UN Agencies
Universities
NGOs
Private sector
Other regional centers
In keeping with the synergy decision that was taken by the Parties to the Basel, Stockholm
and Rotterdam conventions, the Africa Institute also serves within the region to address
the Rotterdam convention capacity building initiatives as well. The Institute posits itself as
a suitable vehicle that the countries in the region must also use to implement the Mercury
Convention (Minamata Convention) once it is finalized.
The Institute addresses its mandate by collaborating with the countries in the region as its
primary beneficiaries. This it does through projects, training workshops, meetings, study
tours, information dissemination and many other forms of capacity building initiatives
aimed at improving the capacity of these countries to better implement these conventions
nationally and regionally. The Institute is the primary capacity building agency that these
countries have regarding these conventions.
This is a critical role given the fact that the issues covered by these conventions are highly
mobile and trans-boundary in most cases. As a regional centre, it is also in regular contact
with the Joint Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in Geneva
which coordinates the implementation of these conventions at the global level.
Other key stakeholders that the Institute cooperates with are the UN organizations such as
UNEP, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNECE, WHO, SAICM and the FAO. The Institute is also in regular
contact with other regional centers especially those in Africa. The other key partners are
the donors. The current donors are Denmark, Finland, Sweden and SAICM. It will continue
to increase its pool of partners as it grows to increase its foot print (Fig. 3).
Figure 3: The conceptual framework of the relationships of the Africa Institute
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The donors are critical in the effectiveness of the Institute as they help provide the
necessary resources that the region needs to address the challenges arising from the
implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions. All the countries that
constitute the Africa Institute are developing countries many facing crippling basic needs.
It is against this background that the conferences of the Parties of the conventions always
make a plea to the donor countries and all development agencies who may be in a position
to assist to do so, so that developing countries through the facilitation of the regional
centers could improve their hazardous waste and chemicals management towards
fulfillment of the objectives of the conventions.
The Africa Institute believes that by coming together within the umbrella of the Institute,
the countries in the region have provided a vehicle that development partners may channel
their assistance so that they could have a regional foot print. The Institute is essentially a
regional entity and its focus is on the regional approach to the challenges that the region is
facing regarding issues that are covered by Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions.
The Regional Challenges
The countries in Africa are generally among the poorest in the world. This condition
presents a fundamental challenge when it comes to environmental management as these
countries are faced with making hard choices between the basic needs such as clean water,
electrification, building schools, building roads, clinics, high unemployment rates, low
literacy levels, high disease burden and many other primary social challenges that require
urgent and concerted effort.
Given these circumstances environmental issues, especially pollution control issues may
not be perceived as urgent or may not receive the necessary attention in national resources
allocation. This then has a direct bearing on how services in this sector may be provided.
The service provision given by these countries is therefore commensurate to the resources
that are being allocated. This usually leads to basic services that fall short of the required
standard of protecting human health and the environment arising from pollution. In the
case of chemicals management it usually leads to uncontrolled and uncoordinated chemical
use with high potential incidences of exposure and consequent impacts on health and the
environment.
This scenario indicates the obvious challenge that developing countries face regarding
these hazardous substances especially African countries. It is essentially a double ended
sword that has negative impact on the livelihoods of the populations especially the down
trodden poor. In the first instance they suffer due to hardships that arise as a result of lack
of basic services which spawns more poverty, disease and death and they also suffer due to
pollution and uncontrolled exposure to hazardous substances which also spawn more
poverty, disease and death.
This vicious circle is the biggest challenge that most developing countries face because of
this invisible linkage which is often missed. And because it is invisible very little resources
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are allocated to address it at the source with most of the concentration placed at the
curative measures at the end. This places an insurmountable disease burden on the already
fragile health care system in the region. It is clear that to address the problem more
emphasis must be put on the preventive measures which necessitates providing sufficient
infrastructure to deal with pollution problems from the source.
Africa has a long way to go in this connection. While most countries have ratified the
conventions that address these concerns, the implementation at the country level is
limited. In fact in some of them there is no separation of the hazardous waste from the
general waste and as such the hazardous waste cannot receive any focused attention. In
many of them there are no systems in place to address the chemicals in general let alone
hazardous chemicals in particular. The problem therefore is fundamentally systemic in
nature with impacts disconnected from the causes.
African countries have a long way to go to ensure that their populations and their
environment are protected from poor waste management, hazardous waste management
and chemicals management overall. The international conventions that most of these
countries have joined provide important drivers towards systemic changes that will
hopefully result in a positive outlook in the long run.
Regarding chemicals, most of the countries on the African continent are not manufacturing
these chemicals but import them from abroad. These chemicals are essential to promote
the development that is so badly needed. Yet unfortunately the lack of proper systems to
ensure environmentally sound management including proper classification and labelling in
a manner that is understandable to largely illiterate populations leads to negative impacts
on both the human health and the environment. Lack of systematic analysis on
environmental impacts and epidemiological studies to make a clear connection using local
data is responsible for the lack of consideration of these challenges as major priority areas
for the continent.
Given these challenges the regional centres in Africa have a mammoth task. Not just of
promoting implementation of the environmental conventions that these countries have
entered into but working with the countries to understand the impacts that are being
experienced due to lack of systems and prioritization of these issues. This latter point may
be the most significant contribution that that these regional centres have to make in the
final analysis. Because it is when the issues are fully understood that buy-in and political
support will be at its highest. The issues will begin to make sense at the local level being
supported by local data.
Africa faces a unique challenge on these issues because of the large rural population with
low literacy levels in most countries. For example, in the past pesticides used colour coding
to reflect the level of toxicity but the international community is now transitioning towards
a globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals which uses a
different system that must be communicated to this population sector as well. The colour
system that was promoted by FAO was still a challenge but had gained better currency
over time. The transition to GHS will pose even a higher challenge.
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At the heart of the problem in Africa is the low literacy level that is prevalent in most
countries leading to failure to understand the messages contained in the labels meant for
the users within the general public. This exposes this category of users of the hazardous
chemicals that freely circulate in these countries to immeasurable risk. Africa must
evaluate this system and establish how it could be communicated effectively given the
rural nature of its populations and the low literacy levels. In the end Africa must play a
major role to establish the solutions that work for its circumstances.
It is evident that initiatives that address hazardous waste and hazardous chemicals have to
be part of the broader strategy of dealing with broader chemicals management and waste
management in the general sense in these countries with hazardous wastes and chemicals
forming just a component of this broader strategy. The starting point therefore is to
understand the situation on the ground first. Once the situation is understood then
solutions may be implemented. For pollution issues especially by hazardous wastes and
chemicals one of the important considerations is the fact that the problem may also be
trans-boundary in nature. Pollution knows no political boundaries and the impacts may be
felt very far from the source and in some cases far down the road in time.
The multilateral environmental agreements that these countries have ratified such as
Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam conventions address different segments of the challenge
and assume a certain degree of national legal and institutional setup for effective
implementation. While efforts are being made in all these countries to comply with these
international obligations and the requisite institutional setup that should ensure effective
implementation resource limitation lead to extremely thin institutions with focal points
given multiple responsibilities and multiple conventions to oversee. This results in
challenges in implementation.
In summary therefore the challenges of the countries of the region include the following:
Lack or poor prioritization of waste management and chemicals management in the broadest sense and lack of appreciation of the dangers that may arise.
Lack of regulatory frameworks and fragmented institutional setups in some cases with overlapping mandates.
Lack or poor facilities both analytical and disposal. That trans-boundary movement of goods including hazardous materials both on
land and in water is a common phenomenon in these countries yet the level of consciousness of officials to hazardous waste and chemicals is low.
Lack of data on the amounts and types of hazardous wastes produced within the country and the amounts and types being imported.
Lack of data on the quantities and types of hazardous chemicals that are circulating in these countries.
Hazardous waste is not separated from general waste in many of these countries and neither is there a systematic management strategy in place.
Dependence on fragmented pieces of legislation housed across sectors with no coordination or very little coordination.
The general public with low consciousness towards waste management and environmentally sound management of chemicals and waste.
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The public with low literacy levels and low consciousness to the dangers of pollution in general.
The Africa Institute therefore finds itself operating in this environment that is characterised by lack of many things. It cannot change this situation alone. It has to work together with the member countries and the pace of change is dependent on how fast and how far the members want to go at any given moment. The issues being tackled are challenging and therefore will take time to change. A concerted effort from all parties concerned is essential in order to effect the necessary change. In addition to the constraints arising from the member countries, the Institute itself has to
face its own capacity constraints. It currently operates with a very small team of
professionals. To be effective it needs to grow to a reasonable size. This growth is
dependent on resources, especially financial resources in order to become sustainable.
The Key Stakeholders
Activities of the Institute are integrated and involve wide ranging groups of role players.
Awareness, knowledge and action agendas in member countries are promoted through
several means which include projects, workshops, etc which are done together with the
member countries. In some cases these activities are also done cooperatively with the
external partners in the fields of hazardous waste and chemicals management. These
groups range from individual citizens, community based organizations, local governments,
central governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations,
the international community and the general public. This section thus identifies and
defines the links and roles of each stakeholder group to the work of the Africa Institute.
Staff of the Africa Institute
The Africa institute has staff within its home office in Pretoria South Africa. The staff of the
Institute act on behalf of member countries to mobilize resources and to represent the
region and coordinate most regional projects and programs. For smooth running and
management of programs, assignments and operations, staff have to be efficient,
coordinated and in consonance with the region. They have to be connected among
themselves and with all other role players, most importantly with the region to ensure that
all players move in concert. They are the foot soldiers that weave the region together.
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Member Countries
There are 23 countries that fall within the scope of the Africa Institute. The countries need
to have sufficient awareness level, adequate knowledge and skills base regarding the
sources, impacts and management options of hazardous wastes and the chemicals.
Regularly they also have to be brought together to discuss issues of common interest so
that they could always be on the same wavelength. They need to be encouraged and
assisted to prioritize and act with common purpose on the issues that form the agenda of
the Institute. The agenda of the Institute must thus be integrated into the agenda of these
countries.
In pursuing this common purpose, the member countries must therefore
Receive and propose projects timely
Ensure national ownership and leadership of programs
Ensure multi-stakeholder consultations and decision-making
Adopt a holistic approach to capacity building
Integrate capacity building in wider sustainable development efforts
Promote partnerships
Accommodate the dynamic nature of the work that needs to be done
Adopt a learning-by-doing approach
The member countries are therefore the core of the Africa Institute. It is their priorities
that must determine the agenda of the Africa Institute. Like all regional initiatives, they
must walk together. This inherently implies challenges since these countries are at the
same developmental level and face slightly different challenges in their domestic sphere.
Yet again when they come together under the regional agenda they must adopt a common
approach to the issues. In essence this presents a quandary for the Institute as it has to
manage these differences to ensure a coordinated approach. This underlines the
importance of a common but differentiated approach towards the solutions to the
challenges of the region. It cannot be a one size fits all. It must be dynamic and adaptive.
For the Institute to be effective, the member countries must have a total ownership and full
ownership of its program-of-work. This means that the program-of-work of the Institute
must be a negotiated product that is dynamic and responsive to the needs of each
individual member. Each member must see themselves in that program and must be able
to internalize it in their own program. Inherently therefore it must be a compromise
focussed on the larger picture as opposed to nitty-gritties of each individual player.
Countries that have not yet ratified the Africa Institute
Even countries that fall within the operational region of the Institute that have not yet
ratified the Africa Institute Agreement must be constantly kept in the picture regarding the
activities of the Institute. The bigger picture that the Africa Institute is a regional center for
all English speaking African countries must never be lost. The purpose of the regional
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center of encouraging the countries in its purview to work together to address common
problems that are being addressed by the conventions that are the agenda of the Institute
must remain the guiding principle. To this end those countries should also be kept in the
loop regarding the direction of the Institute. The Institute must continue to rally them to
join forces with others under its aegies so that the challenges could be tackled together.
The principle that the region is stronger while it works together to address common
challenges must be the rallying point.
Non-Governmental organizations
As the greatest partners of governments all over the world, NGOs occupy a very strategic
position in development. Where governments need to roll out programs, NGOs are very
instrumental in implementation of programs as they also afford to raise their own
resources and are normally focused on solutions. In this group there are international,
regional and local NGOs that must also come forward to assist the region to address the
issue of waste and chemicals management. Thus a partnership with them will prove to be
highly beneficial. They therefore also have to be kept closer to the programs and projects
of the Institute. NGOs also have their own experiences and rich knowledge that can be
tapped to assist in steering programs in the desired direction.
International Organizations
A close working relationship with these institutions is essential to synchronize activities
for successful interventions. This will require sharing information across the spectrum to
cover regional needs, challenges and priorities. On the basis of their experience these
organizations may be highly supportive to the initiatives of the region. Their experience
across the world may add valuable lessons for the region to overcome its own challenges.
All standards, guidelines and protocols that are developed at this level should be made
accessible to countries as means of implementation support. They are able to provide
organizational, technical and financial assistance.
Private sector
The private sector is the backbone of the development of each country. Even in the case of
waste and chemicals management, the private sector must play a central role. This sector
may bring the resources and the expertise that the public sector may never have. It is when
the two work together, perhaps under the private-public-partnerships that solutions may
be found. Leveraging the power and strength of the private sector must be one of the key
strategies of the region. The Institute recognizes and highly values the role that the private
sector may play and commits itself to working closely with it to foster sustainable solutions
in the field of waste and chemicals management. The private sector as a corporate citizen
of these countries has responsibility to play a part in finding the solutions to the problems
that plague the region. As may be argued in some respects the private sector may have an
inherent extended producer responsibility.
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Academic Institutions
Academic institutions are also key stakeholders since they undertake research and do
training. Close collaboration with them is recognized by the Institute so that local
conditions may be better understood. They Institute believes that in the end better
solutions will be found when the situation on the ground is better understood. Also when
the situation on the ground is better understood, there will be improved political support
for the interventions that need to be implemented. The academic institutions in the region
have the expertise and the trust within the countries. They also have the responsibility to
respond to the challenges that the countries and the region face. To this end, the Institute
hopes to maintain a good working relationship with them so that local empirical data and
solutions could be found.
The operating environment
The Africa Institute was established by the highest political structures of the countries
served. This implies political will to address and implement issues of waste and chemicals
management. This political commitment must then be translated into action on the
ground. To achieve this, the political commitment must then be devolved to the operational
structures which must enjoy the political support at the national level. The role of the
political support at the national level is the single most important factor that may
determine the drive for each of the member countries.
It is only when the political level of the countries recognizes the fact that because of
continuing industrialization, development and lifestyle changes more hazardous materials
will increase at country and region levels necessitating coordinated interventions. As
populations grow and urbanization increases the problems will continue to worsen.
The trend in global solutions is based on technological innovations which are not very
cheap usually. Such technological solutions also require highly skilled personnel for both
operations and maintenance and these are not very well catered for within the lean
budgets of the developing countries.
Legislation which regulates and levels the playing field remains a challenge in most African
countries. Positive advances are being made but more needs to be done to keep with the
tidal wave of globalization. The conventions must be domesticated so that they could be
enforced in these countries and necessary ancillary legislations to protect human health
and the environment must be developed. Once developed enforcement must be done.
Legislation without enforcement is as good as non-existent.
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Essential trends analysis
Political Trends
Political will demonstrated by signing the Africa Institute and establishing it
Increasing positive national policies and legislation for protection of the environment
Ratification of MEAs is increasing, most African countries have ratified them
Poor support for participants to Africa Institute activities Corruption Poor budget allocation to waste and chemicals management Insufficient staff in waste and chemicals management Political office bearers changing frequently in the region Institutions in the member countries not strong and in some
cases with overlapping responsibilities
Economic Trends
African countries are still dealing with low economic development
Environmental budget is still very low due to limited public funds
Private sector contribution in the economy is low in most states Private sector in most cases is not taking responsibility for
environmental pollution it causes Global economy is facing a melt down Trade policies need attention to protect the countries from
unmitigated impacts.
Social Trends
Lifestyles and consumer attitudes becoming globalized Populations and urbanization increasing rapidly Media may not be sufficiently influential to influence public
behavior Low environmental consciousness among the populations Ignorance of the population leads to low complaints and
complacency from the public Low literacy levels High rural populations
Technological Trends
Technology transfer very slow due to low investment Lack of technological support and maintenance Lack of skilled manpower
Legal Trends
Domestication of the conventions important Regionally harmonized legislation important Ancillary legislations and policies needed to support
enforcement of the conventions Currently insufficient legislation and policies in most countries
Environmental Trends
Poor environmental management Poor waste management Poor chemicals management Lack of knowledge regarding the impacts of poor waste and
chemicals management
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Low level social responsibility
Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
Weaknesses
Africa Institute established as the first organization of its kind in hazardous waste and chemicals management in the region
Have the Conventions behind to leverage international support and standards
Common purpose because countries are brought together under the banner of the conventions
Active participation in the affairs of the Institute by the country participants
Service provision is very responsive to country needs as the Institute is in touch with countries all the time
The Institute is well hosted and supported by the host country for its day-to-day logistical needs
Pretoria is well connected to the region and the world
Institute is currently too small in size given its mandate
The Institute is still not very well known in the region
The Institute is largely donor dependent for its program-of-work
Council members in some countries are not yet at the decision making level
Representation in the committees of the Institute regularly changes affecting continuity
Default in payments of the assessed contributions
Financially fragile Lower than expected ratification of the
Institute Ambivalent political support of the
Institute Lower currency diplomatic effect of the
Institute
Opportunities
Threats
Regional approaches provides a chance to become a major force in service delivery and partnership arrangements in the area of waste and chemicals management
Having access to lower levels and top management in governments gives the Institute broader negotiation chances for impact
African countries are increasingly supporting the concept of regional approach and hence regional centers for implementation of the conventions
Able to develop a wider integrated response in meeting regional and individual countries challenges
Flexible and responsive Low bureaucracy within the Institute Access into the countries clear and well
understood
Inability to get financial support from the donors
Poor cooperation among African countries
Poor political support due to low ratification
Loss of membership due to default in payments of the assessed contributions by the members
Financial incapacitation Loss of funding due to the global
economic meltdown Loss of political support from
countries due to lack of information dissemination by representatives to the various committees of the Institute
Failure to see the bigger picture over individual expectations between
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Strategic Priorities
The Goals 1
To coordinate the efforts of the countries in the region to address hazardous wastes and chemicals
2 To mobilize resources to address hazardous wastes and chemicals in the region
3 To disseminate information and reach out to all relevant stakeholders in the region for protection of human health and the environment from hazardous wastes and chemicals
The Objectives
Objective 1 To improve the capacity of member countries in the management of hazardous wastes and chemicals.
Objective 2 To enhance the capacity of member countries to influence international negotiations on hazardous wastes and chemicals.
Objective 3 To enhance implementation of the hazardous wastes and chemicals conventions in the region.
Objective 4 To enhance regional research and monitoring of chemicals and hazardous wastes in the region.
Objective 5 To facilitate access to and transfer of technologies for sound management of hazardous wastes and chemicals.
Objective 6 To disseminate information on environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes and chemicals.
The Strategic Management Areas
Corporate Governance
Adherence to high performance standards, best compliance and reporting practices, consultative and efficient risk management.
Human Resources
Recruitment and retention of highly qualified staff as well as ensuring that the staff of the Institute are highly productive and motivated through creating an environment that cherishes and promotes their participation and commitment and provides them with commensurate performance reward.
Well linked to the BRS Secretariat Gaining reputation and currency
regionally and globally Well qualified and resourceful staff
countries
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Financial Management
Establishment and execution of an effective financial management and reporting environment that will ensure that resources are matched to the activities and spending is always within the budget. Also the financial management that ensures proper keeping of books of accounts, timely audit and effective financial risk management.
Procurement
Ensuring that all procurement done by the Institute is characterized by efficiency, transparency, high standards, professionalism and in strict compliance with the policies of the Institute and good corporate practices.
Outreach and Communication
Communications and outreach are central to the Africa Institute mission and programs. They serve to establish an effective participation and knowledge transfer through a number of tools that ensure that the information is properly packaged and disseminated to stakeholders at different layers of society in the member countries. A full communications strategy is appended as a specialized arm of this strategy
Monitoring and Evaluation
Establishment of an effective and efficient monitoring and evaluation system underpinned by existence of reliable data sources, data collection system, timely collection and analysis of data and efficient reporting of impacts and outcomes of the programs of the Institute.
Approach to the Strategic Management Areas
Corporate Governance
Management, coordination and implementation of the program of work of the Institute in accordance with the policies and aspirations of the region.
Human Resources
Attract and retain qualified staff, implement the performance management system in line with that which is implemented in the host country, provide resources and work as a team.
Financial Management
Ensure proper financial planning, reporting and record keeping. Ensure implementation and compliance with internal financial controls.
Outreach and Communication
Raise awareness on the issues covered by the Institute, encourage participation of the member countries in the activities of the Institute, encourage participation of other stakeholders including civil society organizations and private sector to promote sound management of chemicals and hazardous wastes, form partnerships, disseminate information and receive feedback and inputs from the member countries and their endogenous stakeholders, develop educational and outreach tools and use the media both print and electronic for information dissemination and outreach.
Monitoring and Monitor and evaluate all programs and projects of the
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Evaluation Institute. Procurement Apply the procurement policies of the Institute; ensure
transparent and expedient procurement process.
Means of Implementation
Corporate Structure and Governance
The Africa Institute aspires to have a fully-fledged and functional corporate structure in the
next five years. This structure must have all the elements such as the administration office
that has the full time support staff such as the Accountant and the Office administrator in
addition to the Executive Director. This will allow the administration to function more
efficiently and coordinate all the efforts within the office and the region well. Furthermore
the Institute posits that recruitment of additional staff will expedite service delivery.
The Africa Institute office is Pretoria must have sufficient capacity to live up to the
aspirations of the region. This means efficient and effective coordination of the projects
and programs of the Institute in the region and regular liaison with the Secretariat and
other key stakeholders to ensure that the region responds adequately to the challenges of
managing hazardous wastes and chemicals in an environmentally sound manner.
The Institute has three key areas of responsibility 1) hazardous wastes, 2) hazardous
chemicals and 3) outreach. It is therefore suggested that these three complimentary areas
of responsibility should form the foundational three divisions of the Institute in the next
five years. The divisions are not meant to fragment the approach of the Institute but to
focus the interventions. It is understood that all these initiatives will be approached in a
synergistic manner in keeping with the current efforts at the international level.
The two divisions of hazardous waste management and Chemicals Management will be
headed by the Projects Coordinators while the Outreach and Communications division will
be headed by the Program Officer. For purposes of driving the agenda of each division, the
Projects Coordinators and Program Officer will each be assisted by two people in each
division. Thus, the envisaged capacity to drive the projects and programs of the Institute at
the operational level is 9 officers. The Administration will be the Executive Director,
Accountant and the Office Administrator. This administrative division over arches the
entire program of the Institute and is the link between the Institute the Executive
Committee and Council and the Institute and all other external agencies including the
Secretariat and donor organizations.
Chemicals Management
Target
Timeframe
Enabling factors
To assist the member countries to address the challenge of legal and
Funding Timely implementation of the
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Target
Timeframe
Enabling factors
institutional gaps for the management of chemicals and for the effective implementation of the chemicals MEAs
2013 – 2014
activities by the member countries Political will
Domestication of the Chemicals conventions covered by the Institute in the member countries
2013 – 2015
Political will Funding
To assist the member countries to implement their national implementation plans developed under the Stockholm Convention
2013 – 2017
GEF Funding Co-financing from the countries Co-financing by other partners Timely implementation of activities Submission of the national
implementation plans Active participation by the member
countries in the programs of the Institute
To improve the management of chemicals in the member countries
2013 – 2020
Funding Partnerships with other
organizations Active participation by the member
countries in the programs of the Institute
To identify and establish regional cooperation in the analytical capacity
2014 – 2017
Funding Partnerships with organizations in
the region Political will Active participation by all
stakeholders in the cooperation
Waste Management
Target
Timeframe
Enabling factors
To improve the institutional capacity of the member countries in hazardous waste management
2013 – 2020
Funding Timely implementation of activities
by member countries Political will Active participation by the member
countries in the programs of the Institute
Domestication of the Basel Convention in the member countries
2013 – 2014 Funding Political will
To assist the member countries to address the challenge of legal and
Funding Political will
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Target
Timeframe
Enabling factors
institutional gaps for the hazardous waste management and for the effective implementation of the Basel Convention
2013 – 2020
Timely implementation of activities by member countries
Actively participation by member countries in the programs of the Institute
Initiate demonstration projects in the area of hazardous waste management
2013 – 2015
Funding Timely implementation of the
activities by the member countries Political will Co-financing of the demonstration
projects Availability of willing partners in the
member countries Support by the member countries of
the demonstration projects
To identify and establish regional cooperation in hazardous waste management and disposal
2013 – 2025
Funding Active participation by member
countries in the program Political will Partnerships
Outreach and Information Dissemination
Target
Timeframe
Enabling factors
To run an outreach program that disseminates information and educates on hazardous waste management to the different levels of society in the member countries
2013 – 2020
Funding Partners
Policies
The Institute will continue to develop policies that will ensure that it offers its services
accountably and transparently. The Institute will also review its existing policies
periodically to ensure that they respond appropriately to the situations that they were
meant to address. At least every two to three years the policies will be reviewed to assess
the improvements that may be necessary.
Sustainable country contributions
The Africa Institute agreement makes it an obligation on the member countries to
contribute their assessed contributions annually in order to keep the Institute running. The
assessed contributions are calculated based on the original budget of the Institute when it
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was opened in 2009. This budget has remained unchanged in order to ensure that the
annual assessed contributions of the member countries will remain unchanged for easy
institutionalization. The member countries must commit to providing these contributions
in a sustainable and predictable manner on an annual basis in order to ensure that the
Institute can plan its programs.
Sustainable donor support
Decisions of the Conferences of the Parties to Basel and Stockholm Conventions always
make reference to the fact that the donor organizations are requested to assist the regional
centres so that they in turn would assist the parties to these conventions that they serve.
The foundation for this plea is that the regional centres are essentially located in
developing countries or countries with economies in transition. These countries have
limited financial muscle given the competing developmental imperatives that they are still
going through. As such, developed countries can play a significant role using the regional
centre as a channel to funnel some of their development assistance to the region on
environmental issues to address hazardous wastes and chemicals as well. The regional
centres are located in the regions that they serve and are therefore an appropriate
platform that may be used especially to implement regional projects.
The donors may provide bilateral funding while in some cases the funding may come from
multilateral sources such as SAICM, Basel Convention Trust Fund and GEF.
Voluntary contributions
The other source of financial resources for the Institute may be additional voluntary
contribution by the member countries beyond their assessed contributions. These
voluntary contributions could be directed to the Institute in general or towards a specific
project or program or interventions. Such voluntary contributions could also be used to
implement regional or national projects or specific topic projects where the Institute may
work together with the country concerned. The implementation of the project will simply
follow the specific conditions that may be attached to any voluntary contribution for any
specific purpose from any of the member country or group of countries.
Private Sector support
The Private sector also may play a part to address specific topics of interest to them or
society perhaps as part of their corporate social responsibility. Such funding could be made
to the Institute to work together with the industry concerned or for the Institute to
implement the project on behalf of the industry concerned. The private sector has some
extended producer responsibility to address the environmental impacts of the activities
including playing a part to address the issues of concern in the countries that they operate
in. The activities of the private sector produce waste, in some cases hazardous waste that
needs attention. Also the private sector produces products that ultimately become waste
and in some cases hazardous waste that needs attention. In some cases the products are
themselves hazardous and therefore must be managed in an environmentally sound
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manner. This provides a scope for the Institute to work together with the private sector to
address all these challenges for the benefit of human health and the environment while at
the same time creating green jobs in collaboration with the private sector.
Facilities
The Africa Institute is essentially established as a regional organization to provide regional
capacity for members to effectively implement the hazardous waste and chemicals MEAs.
To do this it has to provide training and this may happen in formal and informal manner.
The strength of the Institute lies in its ability to leverage regional approach to common
challenges in the region. To do this it needs to develop partnerships with institutions in the
region and those from other parts of the world that have the interest of the region at heart.
For analytical facilities the Institute has to liaise with other organizations in the region that
may assist with such facilities. This will come in the form of partnerships with professional
institutions in the region that have such capacity. This partnership will involve a working
relationship that should allow more efficient use of the high cost analytical facilities that
the region has. The Institute is of the view that the optimal use of the resources in the
region will come when organizations in the region work together. It is also not financially
feasible for each and every organization to have all the necessary equipment that it may
aspire to have but mutual dependence may make such facilities available from other
organizations in the region. The institutions in this consideration include research
organizations, universities, private sector laboratories, public sector laboratories and all
other organizations with analytical capacity that wish to join forces with others in the
region.
Increased Accession to/Ratification of the Institute
The Africa Institute is an intergovernmental organization. This requires countries to ratify
its founding agreement in order to become full members. At the moment there are 8
countries in the English speaking region that have ratified this agreement. The process of
campaigning to have more countries to accede to this agreement is on-going. In the end, it
is hoped that all countries in the region that support a regional approach to the
implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and the Stockholm Conventions will formally join
the Institute.
Target
Timeframe
Enabling factors
To continue to campaign and mobilize more countries in the region to accede to the Institute
2013 – 2020
Funding Political will
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Monitoring and Evaluation
This Strategic plan will be for a period of seven years. Some of the activities in it are
inherently long term and will be carried forward into the next period. However it will still
be important to evaluate the progress that has been made on them in the period that will
be covered by this plan. The plan will be operationalized through annual operational plans
which will be evaluated annually. There will be two reviews of the strategy; when it is
about half way in 2017 and finally when it reaches the end in 2020.
Indicators
Objective #
Objectives
Indicators
Objective 1
To improve the capacity of member countries in the management of hazardous wastes and chemicals
Regular training of the Focal points of the conventions in the region
Training of stakeholders in the field of hazardous wastes and chemicals in the member countries
Facilities for hazardous wastes and chemicals treatment being accessible within the region
Legislation for waste management including hazardous waste being developed
Legislation for chemicals management being developed
Skilled personnel in the area of waste and chemicals management in the region
Projects being implemented by the members countries jointly with the Institute
Objective 2
To enhance the capacity of member countries to influence international negotiations on hazardous wastes and chemicals
Online preparation meetings for meetings of the conventions to develop common positions
Webinars for members organized to discuss issues of importance and develop common position
Better coordination of the Africa Group meetings at the meetings of the conventions
Better coordination between the regional centers in Africa and the Bureaus to coordinate African issues
African countries and in particular countries from the region actively participating in the events of the conventions
Where possible meetings or side meetings to discuss common issues that are being discussed at the international stage
Objective 3
To enhance implementation of the hazardous wastes and chemicals conventions in the
Focal points for the three conventions updated and the Institute regularly liaising with them
The three conventions domesticated or being considered for domestication in all the member countries
Known database of the facilities that are available in the region to handle hazardous wastes and chemicals established and disseminated to all members
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Objective #
Objectives
Indicators
region All or most of the members regularly reporting to the Secretariat
Increased data within the region on waste and chemicals issues
More studies that link impacts to causes or exposure in the region so that risk could be better understood
Objective 4
To enhance regional research and monitoring of chemicals and hazardous wastes in the region
Research studies commissioned on target topics that address specific topics of interest to the region on hazardous wastes and chemicals
Research priorities for the region identified and disseminated
An informal network of researchers on the topics on interest to the region on hazardous
More research on the impacts at local, national and regional levels
Increased empirical work of the factors covered by these conventions in the region
Objective 5
To facilitate access to and transfer of technologies for sound management of hazardous wastes and chemicals
Regular interface with the industries in hazardous wastes and chemicals management
Educational tours to the facilities with requisite technology that the region needs
Opening up channels for trans-border movement of hazardous wastes for environmentally sound disposal
Aligning legislation within the region to allow trans-border movement of hazardous wastes to where the facilities for environmentally sound management will occur
Objective 6
To disseminate information on environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes and chemicals
Well functional and regularly updated website
Regularly published newsletter
Regular production of information dissemination tools
Regular information exchange with the public education units in the member countries
Regular dissemination of information and education materials to the member countries
Regular trainings
Articles for mass media
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