Have you ever heard of the “Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants”? The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which are chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods and are harmful to both humans and the environment. The Convention was adopted in 2001 building on the principles of the Rio Declaration and aims to support countries in addressing these through a series of mechanisms and processes.
Against this backdrop, UN CC:Learn , UNITAR and the BRS Secretariat teamed up to develop the “National Implementation Plans (NIPs) and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)” e-course. This three-module learning experience takes an average of three hours to be completed and will help you understand POPs by explaining what they are, where they can be found and why they are harmful to humans and the environment. This course is geared towards everyone who wishes to learn more about POPs, as well as experts who deal with the topic day-to-day.
Learning Objectives
Each module has specific learning objectives. However, after completing the course, learners will be able to:
- Describe the important contribution of National Implementation Plans (NIPs) towards meeting obligations of the Stockholm Convention
- Explain steps required to prepare, review and update NIPs
- Identify the challenges in the process of undertaking POPs inventories
- Describe how POPs inventories are used in planning exercises
- Discuss strategies to strengthen NIPs
- Explain the importance of putting in place the means of regularly reviewing and updating NIPs
Target Audience
While the groups below will find it particularly useful, this course is open to everyone, and we encourage you to take it. The knowledge you will gain can help you in everyday life.
- Official Contact Points and National Focal Points of Parties for the Stockholm Convention.
- Members of national steering committees or coordinating bodies for developing and updating NIPs (coordination units) and their different task teams; and
- Stakeholders, from government, the private sector, civil society, and the public, participating in any of the phases of NIPs preparation, review and updating.
Certification
Participants who score 70% or higher in each one of the three quizzes will be awarded an official UN CC:Learn certificate.