On 17 June 2025 (08:00–11:00 CEST), the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP), as a part of the GEF-funded and UNEP-led Global NIP Update project (GEF ID 10785), hosted a regional roundtable “National Implementation Plans: Research needs and opportunities in Asia.”
This virtual roundtable explored how research and technical capacity can enhance the development and implementation of National Implementation Plans (NIPs) under the Stockholm Convention across Asia. While NIPs are vital for managing persistent organic pollutants (POPs), they often remain disconnected from existing scientific expertise and institutional knowledge. This session aimed to bridge that gap.
Organized in collaboration with UNEP, Stockholm Convention Regional Centres, and leading experts, the event brought together national authorities, researchers, and laboratories to discuss and advance the following:
Objectives
Promote stronger integration between NIP development and the research and technical community, including regional centres and laboratories.
Showcase relevant POPs-related research and monitoring work carried out in Asia and its value for shaping informed policy responses.
Identify country-specific research needs and technical gaps that hinder the development and implementation of effective NIPs.
Encourage partnerships between national authorities, research institutions, SC regional centres, and laboratories to support sustained, evidence-based chemicals management.
Facilitate regional dialogue and knowledge exchange to advance collaborative approaches for addressing shared POPs challenges.
Target audience
Stockholm Convention Official Contact Points and National Focal Points, particularly from project countries
National officials and experts involved in the process of reviewing and updating the NIPs
POPs researchers, academics, think tanks, laboratories, etc.
Practitioners working on POPs inventory and management
Representatives of regional centers
Members of NIP National Coordinating Mechanism/ Committees and Project Coordination Units/Thematic Task Groups
Speakers
Victor Hugo Estellano Schulze, Programme Management Analyst, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP);
Dr. Jana Klanova, SCRC RECETOX, Czech Republic;
Dr. Ramesh Kumar, Principal Scientist, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, India https://www.researchgate.net/profile/A-Kumar-2
Anton Purnomo, Director, Basel and Stockholm Conventions Regional Centre for Southeast Asia, Jakarta, Indonesia
Dr. Enkhtuul Surenjav, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2357-5339Ms. Yuyun Ismawati, International Pollutant Elimination Network, (IPEN) and Nexus3 Foundation, London, United Kingdom https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yuyun-Ismawati
Tu Binh Minh; Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tu-Minh
Dr. Nudjarin Ramungul; National Metal and Materials Technology Center, Thailand
https://independent.academia.edu/NRamungul- Professor Gan Zhang, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gan-Zhang-6
Dr. Sun Yang Zhao; Director, Scientific Research Academy of Guangxi Environmental Protection
- Professor Jun Huang, Tsinghua University, China; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9207-8953
Dr. Yasuyuki Shibata, Emeritus Researcher, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan
Moderated by Dr. Roland Weber, POPs and NIP Expert, POPs Environmental Consulting
The event was held in English. Simultaneous interpretation to French, Spanish, and Russian were provided.
This event is organized within the framework of Component 4 of the GEF-funded and UNEP-led project (GEF ID 10785) “Global Development, Review and Update of National Implementation Plans (NIPs) under the Stockholm Convention (SC) on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).”
Contacts
Anastasiya Buchok, Senior Project Associate, GGKP, Global NIP Update
[email protected]
Dr. Roland Weber, POPs and NIP Expert, POPs Environmental Consulting
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Roland-Weber-2
[email protected]
Watch the recording in English