POPs enabling activities in the kingdom of lesotho

UNIDO Proposal (revised 25/03/02)

Project Summary

Project Identifiers
1. Project Number: / 4. GEF Implementing Agency/Executing Agency with Expanded Opportunities:
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
2. Project Name:
Enabling activities to facilitate early action on the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Lesotho. / 5. Country eligibility:
Lesotho is a signatory to the Stockholm Convention.
3. Country:
The Kingdom of Lesotho
6. Name of GEF national operational focal point and the date the endorsement letter was signed (attach a copy of the letter):
Mrs. M. A. Malie
Principal Secretary
Ministry of Environment, Gender and Youth Affairs
Maseru, Lesotho
Date: 19 November 2001
Summary of Project Objectives, Activities, and Expected Outcomes
7. Project objectives:
The objective of this enabling activities proposal is to strengthen national capacity and to enhance knowledge and understanding amongst decision-makers, managers, the industry, NGOs and the public at large on POPs to enable them develop and formulate a National Implementation Plan (NIP) for the reduction and elimination of POPs. By achieving this objective Lesotho will meet the obligations of the Stockholm Convention. Specifically, the project will:
(i)Allow Lesotho to meet its reporting obligations under the Stockholm Convention;
(ii)Prepare the ground for the implementation of the Stockholm Convention in Lesotho;
(iii)Strengthen national capacity to manage POPs and strengthen chemicals management capacity in general;
(iv)Maximize government commitment and facilitate ratification of the Stockholm Convention.
8. Project activities:
Annex B to the Guidelines for Enabling Activities for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants suggests a step-wise process to be followed in developing the National Implementation Plan. These five steps are detailed by a sequence of activities. The main activities, which will be followed by Lesotho, are to:
  • Undertake preliminary inventories of sources and emissions of POPs listed in Annexes A and B to the Convention.
  • Develop an Action Plan for the regular monitoring and reduction of releases of unintentional by-products; Article 5 of the Convention outlines some of the elements that should be included in this plan such as an inventory of current and projected releases, an assessment of enforcement capacity and adequacy of laws and policies to meet the obligations of by-products reduction of the Convention, and strategies to meet these obligations.
  • Build capacity to report every five years on progress in phasing out PCBs as described in Annex I part II of the Convention;
  • Prepare a preliminary assessment of stockpiles of POPs and of waste products contaminated with POPs, and identify management options, including opportunities for disposal, as described in Article 6 of the Convention;
  • Capacity Building to enable the Executing Agency to organize and coordinate the project, including human resource development, training programs, equipments, etc.
  • Build capacity to report to the Conference of the Parties (COP) on total production, import and export, as per Article 15 of the Convention;
  • Build capacity to assess the exposure of the human population and the environment to POPs;
  • Build capacity to assess the need for the continuation of specific exemptions and preparation of their reporting/extension;
  • Build capacity to identify sites contaminated by POPs; and
  • Support communication, information exchange, and awareness creation through multi-stakeholder participatory processes, as described in Articles 9 and 10.

9. Project duration:2 years
10. Project expected outcomes:
The main outcome of this project is the National Implementation Plan, which will have been developed by following the above-mentioned five steps and appropriate activities.
11. Estimated total budget:US$ 488,950
12. Amount being requested from the GEF:US$ 488,950
Information on the institution submitting the Project Brief
13. Information on the organization submitting the proposal:
UNIDO, as the specialized agency of the United Nations in industrial development in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, has participated in all those Interagency Cooperative events that led to the intergovernmental negotiations for the preparation of the Framework Convention on POPs. UNIDO participated in the first two international meetings on POPs held in Vancouver, Canada and Manila, the Philippines, held in 1995 and 1996, respectively. UNIDO also participated in the relevant meetings of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) and the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC). UNIDO also participated in all five Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meetings for an International Legally Binding Instrument for Implementing International Action on Certain POPs. The 15th GEF Council included UNIDO among the executing agencies with expanded opportunities for implementing GEF projects. In 2001, UNIDO became a member of the GEF Inter-Agency Task Force on POPs, and according to the decision of the 17th GEF Council Meeting held in Stockholm, UNIDO now has the mandate to submit enabling activity projects to GEF.
14. Information on the proposed executing organization.
The National Environment Secretariat (NES), under the Ministry of Environment, Gender and Youth Affairs will be the executing agency of this enabling activities project. NES has also been selected as the POPs focal point. Based on the review of POPs-related monitoring, research and development activities, and legal aspects, this institute is best suited for undertaking the key activities described in this enabling activities project. The secretariat is charged with coordinating and overseeing all environmental issues in the country. It consists of four divisions:
  1. Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and Pollution control
  2. Outreach
  3. Data Management
  4. Programmes/Projects
All divisions are staffed with highly qualified and experienced personnel, with the exception of Programmes/Projects division, which is currently being resuscitated.
Environmental Units
In order to maintain harmony and continuity in all environmental matters and to ensure that environmental issues are brought on board in all national development plans, all line ministries have Environmental Units as their link with NES. These are involved throughout all stages of any environmental project and activity and are very instrumental in strengthening wider participation.
Detailed information of the Institute is attached as Annex 1.
15 Date the proposal was submitted to a GEF Implementing Agency/Executing Agency with Expanded Opportunities: 19 November 2001
16. Date the proposal was submitted to the GEF Secretariat: 27 February 2002
17. Date the proposal was approved:
18. Date of first Disbursement:
Information to be completed by the Implementing Agency/Executing Agency with Expanded Opportunities:
19. Implementing Agency/Executing Agency with Expanded Opportunities contact persons:
1.Mr. Angelo D’Ambrosio
GEF Focal Point
Managing Director
Sectoral Support and Environmental Sustainability Division (SES)
UNIDO, D1556, Vienna International Centre,
Wagramer Strasse 5, P.O. BOX 300.
1400 Vienna, Austria
  1. Mr. Zoltan Csizer
POPs Focal Point
Director, Cleaner Production and Environmental Management Branch (PEM)
Sectoral Support and Environmental Sustainability Division (SES)
UNIDO, D1215, Vienna International Centre,
Wagramer Strasse 5, P.O. BOX 300.
1400 Vienna, Austria
Project Description

The project description serves to explain how the project will be executed based on discussions held with government officials from the Ministry of Environment, Gender and Youth Affairs and the Chemical Management Committee (CHEMAC). CHEMAC has been established under NES as a technical advisory committee in specific environmental issues related to chemicals management, in particular, to facilitate ratification and subsequent implementation of the Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions. It comprises members from government departments, the private sector, universities and NGOs. This narrative part attempts to describe the context in which the step-wise process of activities, which is elaborated in the GEF Initial Guidelines (GEF/C.17/4), Annex B, takes place.

The structure is as follows: A brief background establishes the environmental setting of Lesotho in regional and sub-regional contexts and is followed by the project objective. The activities are grouped to describe the existing situation in Lesotho in terms of the managerial, technical and social infrastructure that is in place, or is intended to be put in place, for the preparation of the National Implementation Plan. The managerial aspects include the discussion of the project implementation structure as well as the coordination and organization of the NIP development process. The technical aspects include three activities, namely the establishment of POPs inventories and the assessment of national infrastructure and capacity; the setting of priorities, the determination of objectives for POPs management and the formulation of a National Implementation Plan. The social aspects relate to issues of stakeholder identification and participation, information dissemination, and social and participation issues.

The Annexes are attached for a more detailed background on Lesotho’s situation with regard to POPs. Annex 1 provides a summary of the capacity of the Executing Agency. Annex 2 provides a detailed description of the status of the 12 POPs in Lesotho, and Annex 3 gives a work plan, which follows the suggested sequence of activities attached to GEF’s Guidelines, and provides the basis for the given budget.

The problem of POPs is highly relevant in the context of African countries since there has been little attention to the problem so far. No measurements have been carried out to assess the situation to show the degree of contamination of the environment, in particular by PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), and dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzopdioxins and dibenzofurans) mainly due to open burning, to undertake inventories of possible obsolete pesticides and PCBs stocks, as well as the illegal agricultural use of DDT. The main sources of POPs contamination include outdated technologies used in the chemical/electrical industry, hazardous, municipal and hospital waste incinerators as well as a lack of awareness on the part of the general population.

The Ministry of Environment, Gender and Youth Affairs and its subordinate policing arm, the National Environment Secretariat, are the main authorities charged with setting and enforcing environmental standards. The new Environment Bill calls for the establishment of a more semi-autonomous body, the Lesotho Environment Authority (LEA), with the aim of increasing the efficiency of policy making. Lesotho will further focus on capacity building for customs personnel and the revision of import registration procedures at ports, as well as establishing a POPs inventory database.

The harmonization of Lesotho’s legislation/regulations with those of other SADC countries will also be initiated. Lesotho has signed several international conventions related to the management of Chemicals, such as the Basel Convention[1] and the Stockholm Convention. However, Lesotho is not yet a signatory to the Rotterdam Convention[2].

Project objective(s)

The objective of this enabling activities proposal is to strengthen national capacity and the enhance knowledge and understanding amongst decision-makers, managers, the industry, NGOs and the public at large, on POPs to enable them to formulate and develop a National Implementation Plan (NIP) for the reduction and elimination of POPs. By achieving this objective Lesotho will meet the obligations of the Stockholm Convention. Specifically, the project will:

(i)Allow Lesotho to meet its reporting obligations under the Stockholm Convention;

(ii)Prepare the ground for the implementation of the Stockholm Convention in Lesotho;

(iii)Strengthen national capacity to manage POPs and strengthen chemicals management capacity in general;

(iv)Maximize government commitment and facilitate the ratification of the Stockholm Convention.

Project activities

Coordination and organization of the NIP development process

The government of Lesotho has selected the NES/LEA and its technical committees as focal point for this enabling activities project. A detailed description of the executing agency and project focal point is given in Annex 1.

Throughout the project life of two years, there will be a National Project Coordinator (NPC), who reports to the Director of NES and works for the project full-time, and a Chief Technical Advisor (CTA), who reports to UNIDO and works for the project part-time. The CTA will be someone with experience in the NIP development in another country and thereby provide for an in-depth understanding of project implementation. The CTA will be technically qualified to provide overall guidance on the management of the process, as well. The NPC will ensure adherence to the work plan, which is elaborated during the first phase of the project. His/her main responsibilities will include advising on and monitoring of all technical aspects of the project as well as financial control during execution. The NPC will work in close co-operation with the CTA.

During the first three months of the project, a National Legal Advisor (NLA), recruited by the executing agency, shall, with the assistance of the NPC and the CTA, facilitate the initiation of the project, and handle all legal aspects of the project such as procedures for tender, contract and agreement preparation. For the same period, NES will provide the team with administrative support.

The Chemical Management Committee will be the Steering and Coordinating Committee for the enabling activities project. The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Marketing, the Ministry of Employment and Labour, the Ministry of Agriculture, Cooperatives and Land Reclamation, the Ministry of Environment, Gender and Youth Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Local Government – Maseru City Council, the National University of Lesotho, representatives of the private sector, the Lesotho Electrical Corporation, the Ministry of Education, the Lesotho National Development Corporation, the Lesotho Consumer Organisation, the NGO sector, as well as the focal point will be represented in the Committee. The CTA will participate in the sessions, if necessary.

The Committee will have meetings on a monthly basis and discuss issues related to chemicals, such as new draft legislation, action plans, the storage, handling and use of chemicals, waste management. etc. This is the forum, where the NGO sector can also raise questions and comment on the discussion topics. The Committee will hold its regular sessions throughout the project, but additional meetings can be held, if necessary.

The Committee will oversee the project-related work of the NES and the project team. The Steering and Coordinating Committee will review, comment on and approve the work plan. Strong emphasis will be put on private sector and civil society involvement during project execution. All decisions of the committee, such as respective responsibilities, timelines and the budget (based on the tenders) will be clearly communicated to those concerned. Activities, which require expertise not available at the NES, will be implemented through sub-contracts. Tenders will be published in accordance with Lesotho government procedures, through the Central Tender Board. Submitted tenders will be reviewed and evaluated by the Steering Committee based on an evaluation system, which is going to be prepared by the Committee. It will include the review of all applicants’ level of expertise, human and financial resources and work done in this field.

The monitoring of project execution will be undertaken by UNIDO by means of quarterly progress reports. UNIDO will organize a mid-term evaluation of the project in line with GEF guidelines at the end of the first year. It will evaluate the efficiency of project management, including outcomes, the budget and timelines. The Steering Committee will receive the evaluation and will take corrective actions.

Inventories and assessments

The project team, consisting of the NPC and the CTA, will be responsible for the setting up of task teams. These task teams will receive extensive training on how to identify stocks and contaminated sites as well as on inventory procedures. Technical Reports will be prepared, which will contain detailed information on the present state of the particular field of POPs under scrutiny. The following expertise is required for undertaking POPs-related inventories and assessments:

  1. Research team for retrieving information from authorities such as the Bureau of Statistics (BOS), relevant ministries, key industrial enterprises and NGOs. The team will be responsible for undertaking inventories of production, export, import, use, and distribution of pesticides and PCBs (Annex A of the Convention).
  2. Emission expert team for preparing the initial inventories for PCB, PCDD/F and HCB releases into the environment by using international guidelines.
  3. Contamination expert team for assessing contaminated sites, obsolete stocks and disposal opportunities. In order to ensure optimal coordination one of the research team members will always participate in this team.
  4. Institutional expert for assessing current POPs-related infrastructure, enforcement, monitoring and R&D capacities.
  5. Health expert team for assessing the population’s exposure to POPs, undertaking preliminary countrywide survey of air, water, soil, and sediment pollution.

Since the Stockholm Convention has not indicated the preferred inventory procedures, the inventory methods for Lesotho will follow international guidelines. Attempts will be made to initiate and finalize a comparable national system. Technological and economic concerns will also be taken into account in the finalization of the procedures.