On 17 June 2025 (08:00–11:00 AM CEST), the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP), as a part of the GEF-funded and UNEP-led Global NIP Update project (GEF ID 10785), will host the regional roundtable “National Implementation Plans: Research needs and opportunities in Asia.”

This virtual roundtable will explore 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 aims to bridge that gap.

Organized in collaboration with the BRS Secretariat, Stockholm Convention Regional Centres, and leading experts, the event will bring 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/0000-0002-2357-5339 
• Ms. 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 will be held in English. Simultaneous interpretation to French, Spanish, and Russian shall be 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
anastasiya.buchok [at] ggkp.org (anastasiya[dot]buchok[at]ggkp[dot]org)

Dr. Roland Weber, POPs and NIP Expert, POPs Environmental Consulting
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Roland-Weber-2
Roland.Weber10 [at] web.de (Roland[dot]Weber10[at]web[dot]de)