As with all priorities requiring concerted action from many sectors and stakeholders in society, good situational analysis and comprehensive consultation is key for success. This is also identified in the Stockholm Convention, which requires the formulation of a National Implementation Plan (NIP) to define a country’s means of implementing the Convention’s requirements.

In most countries, assistance from UNIDO commences with so-called 'Enabling Activities' for the preparation and development of a country’s initial NIP. This assistance has been provided to 41 countries, resulting in NIPs which are tailored to country-specific conditions and are based on the country’s unique institutional, policy and regulatory structures.

When chemicals are added to the Convention, parties need to review their NIP and update it with information on how they will address the newly-listed POPs. The process of reviewing and updating the NIPs can be challenging for parties that lack adequate resources and technical capacity. To date, 48 countries have been assisted by UNIDO with NIP review and update projects.

The NIP Update process goes through baseline assessment and inventories into sector specific action plans and their validation.

The resulting NIP Updates are transmitted to the Convention as a country reporting tool. This provides for country priorities as well as a basis for UNIDO in assisting projects to reduce POPs emissions and advance inclusive and sustainable industrial development.