The Stockholm Convention is an internationally legal binding agreement on persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs harm human wealth and environment, persists for decades in the environment and thus are a threat to sustainable development.
The convention sets out to abolish the use of certain chemicals, limit use of DDT to malaria control and minimize production that produce dioxins as a by-product.
The two day conference marked the finalization of China's National Implementation Plan on Stockholm Convention (NIP). The first day took place at the Great hall of the People where Norwegian Embassy's charge d'affair, Mr Erik Svedahl, held a short statement on the negative global impact of POPs. The second day took form as a work shop with lectures and First Secretary. Ms Line Kofoed gave an introduction to Norwegian perspectives on POPs elimination.
The Norwegian Government is giving high priority to efforts to reduce and eliminate pollution from POPs. Norway finished the National Implementation plan in 2006, have banned all intentionally produced POPs and aim to eliminates far as possible all unintentional release by 2020.
With the launching of China's NIP the cooperation between Norway and China will become closer in this area. The Norwegian government together with SEPA have initiated two projects related to reduction and abolishment of POPs.
The first focuses on environmentally sound management of co-processing of hazardous and industrial wastes in cement kilns in China. The second relates to capacity building for reducing mercury pollution in China. A third project is in the pipeline, scheduled to start fall of 2007 and is called “Sino-Norwegian Cooperative Project on Capacity Building for Persistent Organic Pollutants in China”.