Outcome of the 15th East Asia POPs Monitoring Workshop

In a major step forward for environmental protection and international collaboration, the Philippines and Thailand are preparing to initiate monitoring efforts for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) later this year. This decision was a key outcome of the 15th East Asia Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Monitoring Workshop, organized by Japan’s Ministry of Environment (MOE) in Manila, Republic of the Philippines in November 2023.

The workshop brought together experts from Japan, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, as well as representatives from Environment and Climate Change Canada. Government officials from Cambodia, Indonesia, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan actively participated in the event.

Background and Purpose:

The workshop aligns with the objectives of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), adopted in 2001. The Convention, which entered into force on 17 May 2004, mandates participating countries to conduct national and international environmental monitoring to identify the presence of POPs in humans and the environment. The Japanese Ministry of the Environment has been organizing this workshop since 2002 to facilitate international cooperation and contribute to evaluating the effectiveness of the POPs Convention.

Workshop Overview:

1. Sponsorship and Cooperation:

                                          Sponsored by: Japanese Ministry of the Environment

Cooperation: Republic of the Philippines, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Environmental Management Bureau

2. Participants:         Government officials from 11 East Asian countries

Representatives from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Secretariat of the Basel-Rotterdam-Stockholm Convention, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Japanese experts.

3. Main Contents:  Chaired by Professor Reiko Sodeno, the workshop covered several topics:

1. Progress of evaluating the effectiveness of the POPs Convention
2. Analysis results and status report POPs monitoring in East Asia
3. Future monitoring plans
4. Framework for future East Asia POPs monitoring project

The press release issued by Japan’s Ministry of Environment on 12 January 2024, highlighted the following key results:

1. The Secretariat of the Basel-Rotterdam-Stockholm Convention presented the 3rd Global Monitoring Report, which evaluates the effectiveness of the POPs Convention, and discussed efforts for the next evaluation.
2. Reports on the status and results of cooperative monitoring efforts at priority survey points were presented. Agreements were made to continue monitoring in specific areas.
3. Future monitoring plans were discussed, confirming cooperative monitoring in the Republic of the Philippines and the Kingdom of Thailand in 2024, and arrangements for the Republic of Indonesia in 2025.
4. Several research institutions have been established to sustain and strengthen POPs monitoring in the East Asian region. Feasibility studies will be conducted with Mongolia as a candidate, following Japan, South Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, and the Kingdom of Thailand.

The workshop has laid the groundwork for continued international cooperation in monitoring and addressing the challenges posed by persistent organic pollutants in the East Asian region.