PERMANENT Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Mr. George Jervis, on behalf of the Government, yesterday, endorsed the National Implementation Plan (NIP) for Guyana under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).

Speaking on the occasion at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC), Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, he confirmed that the NIP is in accordance with the government’s national priorities and its commitment to the Stockholm Convention.
He directed that the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB), in its capacity as the Stockholm Convention focal point, submit the plan to the Convention Secretariat in fulfilment of Guyana’s obligation as a participant.
Jervis explained that the NIP highlights certain aspects which reflect both the country’s policy commitment in addressing the issue of POPs and, more generally, as a sound chemicals management instrument on an ongoing basis.
He reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the objective of the Stockholm Convention, linkage of the NIP to the current national development strategy and the adoption of a precautionary approach with respect to efforts made towards meeting the goal.
Jervis added that the NIP also reflects the integration of the country’s actions to address POPs within its broader moves in ensuring sound chemical management under the framework of the international conference and the implementation of the strategic approach to integrate it.
In addition, he pointed out that it is also a reflection of  the pursuit of an NIP strategy based on assuring cooperative inter-agency steps under the coordination of the PTCCB, high level stakeholder involvement, open and transparent public consultations, disclosure and prioritisation of identified critical areas.

AFTER CONSULTING
Jervis said the NIP was prepared by the PTCCB, after consulting with a broad range of national stakeholders and through financing, in part, from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
He said the PTCCB is a very important element of the agriculture sector and that its role is being increasingly recognised as crucial, not only for exportation purposes, but for local health and well-being, too.
Registrar of the PTCCB, Mrs. Trecia Garnath said the endorsement of the NIP marked an important milestone for the country, which signifies meeting its obligations under the convention and facilitating a number of integral steps towards the sound chemicals management.
She said one of the key components of the plan is the five-year strategic process within the implementation scheme and revealed that the Board has, during the past week, been very proactive in meeting with various stakeholders, in order to move forward.
“We don’t want to have a document endorsed and then just become something that’s sitting on a shelf. Rather, we want it to be a living document. We want to move forward by having the inputs of the various stakeholders, which is important in its implementing,” Garnath asserted.
She advised that, over the next five years, the highlighted activities are going to be accomplished with funds from the Guyana Government and the GEF.
Garnath said, with the help of international consultant, Mr. Richard Cooke, the PTCCB has been able to prepare the project framework, after which it will go back to the GEF for more funds.
According to her, a lot of the findings in the NIP will be addressed with that financing and they are working to have it available within the next six months.

COMES OBLIGATIONS
Chairman of the PTCCB, Dr. Leslie Munroe said, with Guyana acceding to the Stockholm Convention, comes obligations, one of which is to manage pesticides responsibly.
He said the NIP will serve to examine how pesticides are managed generally, noting that the PTCCB is responsible to ensure good stewardship of the substances from the time they are imported to the time of the containers disposal.
Munroe said the Board has a laboratory which is capable of assessing the imports and the production of a document is just the beginning but the PTCCB is now tasked to implement the initiatives set out in the strategic plan.