Success story
Here we share what was gained through implementation of the Regional demonstration project for coordinated management of ODSs and POPs, and other projects aimed to solve the same issue.
In 1992 the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) became one of the four implementing agencies of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol. Since 2001, a year when the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was opened for signature, UNIDO has been actively involved in the implementation of the convention’s provisions.
The Montreal Protocol clearly leads the way for addressing global problems through joining efforts of the whole world. With coordinated actions, international organizations, governments, businesses and communities achieved drastically reduced production and consumption of ODS and their emissions into the atmosphere. Adoption of the Kigali amendment turned the protocol into a powerful tool to solve another overriding issue, climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
The Stockholm Convention is another global treaty designed to protect human health and environment from highly toxic chemicals that move up almost every food chain on the Earth and adversely affect organisms of those food chains.
The principles of inclusive and sustainable development complied with in the course of implementation of international environmental agreements contribute both prevention of environmental pollution and industrial development, technology transfer, eradication of poverty and inequality
Further Use of Experience Gained from the Project for Coordinated Management of ODS and POPs Disposal
As part of the GEF-UNIDO project “Coordinated Management of ODS and POPs Disposal in Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Armenia (regional demonstration project)”, technological solutions for the collection and destruction of ozone-depleting substances and persistent organic pollutants were developed and tested, institutional capacity was strengthened, and the regulatory framework of the participating countries was improved.
The experience accumulated will be useful in the implementation of new projects aimed at environmental protection and compliance with the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, and other international treaties.
Disposal of Used Equipment Containing ODS and POPs
An important component of the coordinated management of the disposal of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) within the framework of the GEF-UNIDO Regional Demonstration Project has been the organisation of the collection, storage, and processing of waste containing ODS and POPs.
Accreditation of Laboratories for Sampling and Measurement of Dioxins and Furans in Emissions from Stationary Sources
One of the objectives of the GEF-UNIDO demonstration project on the coordinated management of the disposal of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Armenia is to address the lack of technologies and capacity in the participating countries for the effective and environmentally safe destruction of hazardous wastes regulated by the Montreal Protocol (ODS) and the Stockholm Convention (POPs).
To achieve this objective, the project envisages the creation of centres for the destruction of ODS and POPs, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). One of the main requirements for the waste destruction process, alongside efficiency and productivity, is the highest possible level of safety for the environment and human health.
Construction of an Industrial Complex for the Processing of Refrigeration/Air Conditioning Equipment and Thermal Destruction of ODS/POPs in Kazakhstan
A key focus of the Regional Demonstration Project for Coordinated Management of ODS and POPs Disposal in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia has been facilitating the recycling of used refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners with the recovery and collection of ODS for subsequent destruction, as well as the establishment of facilities for the environmentally sound destruction of ODS and POPs waste.
It was decided to establish one of the industrial complexes to address these challenges in Kazakhstan.
Identification, Inventory, Sampling, and Labelling of Equipment Containing PCBs in Armenia
The Republic of Armenia participated in the Regional Demonstration Project for Coordinated Management of ODS and POPs Disposal solely under the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) component, in line with the Stockholm Convention.
During the project, 2,000 samples of oils containing polychlorinated biphenyls were identified, sampled, and labelled to determine the appropriate method of their subsequent neutralisation or destruction.
PCB inventory in Belarus
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are hazardous substances that pose a serious threat to human health and the environment even in low concentration, so the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) prohibits new production and requires eliminating use of these substances.
The GEF-UNIDO Project and reduction of inequality
One of the chapters of UNIDO interactive publication, Montreal Protocol and Beyond, presents the case of BelVTI, the partner of the GEF-UNIDO Project in Belarus, to show how the implementation of the Montreal Protocol fights inequality.