This blog post draws on the presentation and remarks of Cliff Gonzalves, Lead Consultant for the National Implementation Plan (NIP) Review, Seychelles, and Eulalie Sabury, Registrar of Pesticides and Public Health Officer, Seychelles, delivered during the GGKP workshop Outreach and Awareness-raising on POPs for the General Public and Private Sector, held on 19 May 2026.
In the Seychelles, experience from the National Implementation Plan (NIP) update process and pesticide inventory activities has demonstrated the importance of effective outreach and awareness-raising. It requires engagement, participation and practical communication approaches tailored to local realities.
Communication and outreach through stakeholder involvement
“One of the things we have done, both in the past and again here, is to include many stakeholders directly in the NIP review itself.”
– Cliff Gonzalves
A central strategy used during the Seychelles NIP update was to involve stakeholders directly in the process. Government agencies, private sector representatives, academia, customs officials and technical experts were included in four thematic working groups each covering pesticides, industrial chemicals, unintentional POPs and institutional and legal issues.
This participatory approach created opportunities for learning and capacity-building while ensuring that key stakeholders developed ownership of the process. Representatives from the Department of Environment, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Tourism, waste management authorities, fire and rescue services and the private sector gained first-hand exposure to POPs-related issues through their involvement in the review process.
Person-to-person communication in small island contexts
For Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as the Seychelles, person-to-person communication remains a particularly powerful awareness tool. While digital communication platforms offer important opportunities to reach wider audiences, direct engagement through consultations, workshops and site visits often delivers stronger results. Participants share information within their communities and workplaces, helping awareness spread organically beyond those who attend formal events.
Building awareness through training and frontline engagement
Training activities conducted during inventory exercises also played an important role. These sessions helped stakeholders better understand the risks associated with POPs and other hazardous chemicals while building technical knowledge among those responsible for managing them. For frontline officers such as customs and border control personnel, awareness is often more important than technical expertise. Knowing that certain products may be restricted and understanding who to contact when concerns arise can significantly strengthen national controls.
Field visits for targeted outreach and compliance support
Field experience from pesticide inventories has also highlighted the importance of targeted outreach for different stakeholder groups. Importers, agricultural businesses, pesticide applicators and end users all face distinct challenges and require different forms of communication and support.
Awareness-raising for importers on registration and regulatory controls
In the Seychelles, pesticides are imported, as there is no local manufacturing. During inspections and field visits, authorities observed that many importers were more familiar with product trade names than with active ingredients, which are the basis for registration and regulatory controls. Awareness of international restrictions and banned chemicals was also often limited.
As a result, site visits became important opportunities to provide practical guidance on registration requirements, safety measures, documentation and compliance with legal obligations. Instead of relying solely on written materials or formal training sessions, inspectors were able to engage directly with stakeholders in their workplaces and address issues as they arose.
Reaching agricultural users and small-scale farmers
Agricultural users face additional challenges. Many small-scale farmers continue to rely on traditional practices and may struggle to understand pesticide labels, dosage instructions and safe handling procedures. There is also a need to increase awareness of safer alternatives and the environmental impacts associated with improper pesticide use.
Ensuring training reaches the actual applicators
One challenge identified during fieldwork concerns who actually receives training. In many cases, business owners attend training programmes and obtain competency certificates, but the workers who actually handle and apply pesticides may not receive the same level of instruction. As a result, the people most exposed to pesticides in their daily work and most responsible for safe application may lack the knowledge.
Field inspections also revealed common issues such as improper storage, inadequate labelling, expired products, and limited awareness of restricted or banned chemicals. These findings highlight the importance of developing outreach materials that are practical, accessible and tailored to the needs of different audiences.
“During site visits, we observed that stakeholders were very receptive to practical, on-site guidance.”
– Eulalie Sabury
The Seychelles experience demonstrates that awareness-raising is most effective when it is integrated within broader chemicals management activities and implemented as part of a coordinated approach. Consultation processes, inventory work, inspections, training programmes and stakeholder engagement activities all create valuable opportunities to build understanding and strengthen capacity.
As countries continue updating their NIPs and implementing their obligations under the Stockholm Convention, combining digital communication tools with direct stakeholder engagement can help translate complex technical issues into practical knowledge that supports safer chemical management. Ultimately, awareness is not only about informing people – it is about empowering them to recognize risks, take appropriate action, and contribute to protecting both human health and the environment.
To learn more about the Global NIP Update project, visit Global NIP Update | Green Policy Platform.
For a deeper dive into the GGKP workshop Outreach and Awareness-raising on POPs for the General Public and Private Sector, you can access the full recordings and materials here.
This article was curated by Mark Schulman, Content Editor, GGKP, and reviewed by Soomin Bae, Project Support Consultant, GGKP.
