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Context in Armenia

Armenia signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer on October 1, 1999, and as of January 2021, ratified all the amendments including the Kigali amendment (May 2, 2019).

Armenia signed the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants on May 23, 2001 and ratified it on November 26, 2003. The convention entered into force on May 17, 2004.

The Ministry on Environment developed a national programme as part of the GEF project “Enabling activities to facilitate early action on the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Republic of Armenia.” The project activities revealed that the major source of POPs including PCB-containing oils used in maintenance of electric machinery was the energy industry.

In 2008–2011, with the GEF financial support and in cooperation with UNIDO, project “Technical Assistance for Environmentally Sustainable Management of PCBs and Other POPs Waste in the Republic of Armenia” ensured inventory of PCB-containing equipment and oils and other POP-containing wastes in the energy and manufacturing industries, checking oils for PCB content and adoption of labeling for PCB-containing equipment.

In 2013–2015, UNIDO project “Enabling activities to review and update the National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)” ensured inclusion of new POPs into the National implementation plan and development of Action plan 2015–2020.

Circulation of chemicals and wastes is regulated by Law of the Republic of Armenia “On waste” and by a minor part of 20–30 bylaws related to POPs and PCB-containing wastes.

The problems to be solved:

  • Lack of resources—including qualified professionals—for waste record keeping performed on time and in detail.
  • Non-cooperation of enterprises’ personnel.
  • Shortage of record keeping forms and filling errors.
  • Absence of equipment labeling, wrong labeling of containers and samples, inadequate waste transportation conditions.
  • Poor awareness of environmentally safe management of PCB-containing oils and equipment.
  • Few training courses and programs for operating and supervising personnel in the energy industry.
  • Poor awareness of key specialists of the energy industry in the PCB related issues.
  • Inadequate regulatory framework for inventory to reveal equipment and oils that may contain PCBs, and record amount and location of PCB-containing equipment and oils, and absence of any requirements to storage conditions.
  • Absence or lack of technical guidelines for environmentally safe management of PCBs in the energy industry.
  • Lack of laboratories and resources for PCB identification.
  • Inefficient sanctions for violation of requirements to environmentally safe management of PCBs.