Round table discussion on implementation of MEAs in Russian and EAEU countries was held with the frame of IPLA Global Forum in Moscow

October 09, 2015

On the 6^th of October within IPLA Global Forum 2015 round-table discussion «Realization of international environmental agreements as the element of chemical and ecological system of Russian and countries of EEU safety” took place in the Centre of World Trade. The event was organized upon an initiative of Centre for International Industrial Cooperation UNIDO in Russian Federation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Natural Resource Use. The international and Russian experts of the field for realization of Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, Basel Convention, Rotterdam Convention, Minamata Convention on Mercury and Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, the representatives of Kazakhstan and Belarus Republics, the representatives of industrial enterprises occupied with POPs, the representatives of specialized agencies of UNO-UNIDO, UNEP, Russian National Committee for UNEP participated in this global event. Ms. Tatiana Terekhova, the representative of Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam Conventions Unite Secretariat greeted the participants of round-table discussion remotely.

Within the round-table discussion the problems of the adherence to Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants were discussed especially in relation with PCB handling, pesticides organization and storage. It is observed that in recent years the work in the field of environmentally safe management of POPs in the Russian Federation, Belarus and Kazakhstan Republics became more active (those of thanks to UNIDO and UNDP projects), however the quantity of issues which require the operative solution is still grand. As before there is much tension around the issues of monitoring POPs in the components of environment, tissues of living organisms and technological equipment; the issues of environmental safe POPS transportation to the utilization location and environmental safety of their deactivation. With that the solution of these issues may belong to the level of intensification of regional cooperation.

It is apart observed the issues of the realization of Minamata Convention on Mercury which was signed by three countries-participants of the Customs Union. According to Research Institute “Atmosphere” analytic data which realize monitoring of mercury emissions in the atmosphere, water and soil in the Russian Federation more than 1,2 thousands tones of mercury entered the environment only in 2012. In reality the emission volume of this supercotoxicant can be considerably larger.

The participants of round-table discussion considered high priority measures of the uniting together efforts within the adherent of International environmental agreements. The proposals were fixed in the round-table resolution which will be directed to the Government of Russian Federation and involved ministries and governmental agencies with the resolutions of IPLA Global Forum.