Second session of Project Steering Committee of GEF-UNIDO project
On May 27, 2021, the second session of the Project Steering Committee of the project on the coordinated management of ODS and POP disposal in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Armenia took place.
Chief of the Montreal Protocol Division of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) opened the session, and on behalf of the organization, he expressed satisfaction with the progress reached and highlighted that both efficient national strategies and regional cooperation were essential to the management of ODS- and POP-containing waste streams.
In the brief outline project coordinator described the functions and responsibilities of the participants of the project, and the objectives and approaches ensuring its success. Project coordinator pointed that establishment of a physical infrastructure (i.e. enterprises to recover ODSs and co-destruct ODS- and POP-containing wastes) was only one of the project components, and the next project stage should have a strong focus on the development of the regulatory and legal framework.
Following the detailed study of the project progress in each participating country, the session familiarized with a work plan for 2021 developed from the proposals those countries submitted earlier. The Project Steering Committee approved the plan in principle and decided that participating parties would develop their national action plans on its basis by June 30, 2021, to continue the implementation of the project.
Then the representatives of the participating countries shared their perspectives for plans and priority areas of the project implementation at both national and regional levels.
When concluding the session, Chief of the Montreal Protocol Division thanked the project participants for the job well done and expressed confidence that the objectives of the project would be achieved. He placed emphasis on the growing importance of such initiatives, especially concerning the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol that provides for the destruction of hazardous chemicals. With the limited experience of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol in this area, the project should be construed as a paradigm for similar future initiatives.
To read on the topic: Regional recycling network for ODS- and POP-containing wastes presented at session of Project Steering Committee