PROJECT IDENTIFICATION FORM (PIF)
PROJECT TYPE: Medium-sized Project
THE GEF TRUST FUND
Submission Date: 9 November 2007
1st Re-submission Date: 21 January 2008
2nd Re-submission Date: 15 May 2008
PART I: PROJECT IDENTIFICATION
GEFSEC PROJECT ID1: 3571
GEF AGENCY PROJECT ID: GF/ARM/08/XXX
COUNTRY (IES): Republic of Armenia
PROJECT TITLE: Technical assistance for environmentally
sustainable management of PCBs and other POPs waste in the
Republic of Armenia
GEF AGENCY(IES): UNIDO
OTHER EXECUTING PARTNER(S): Ministry of Nature Protection of
the Republic of Armenia
GEF FOCAL AREA (S): Persistent Organic Pollutants
GEF-4 STRATEGIC PROGRAM(S): POPs-SP1
NAME OF PARENT PROGRAM/UMBRELLA PROJECT:
INDICATIVE CALENDAR
Milestones
Expected Dates
Work Program (for FSP)
CEO Endorsement/Approval
GEF Agency Approval
Implementation Start
Mid-term Review (if planned)
Implementation Completion
07/2008
08/2008
11/2008
11/2008
11/2008
A. PROJECT FRAMEWORK (Expand table as necessary)
Project Objective: To reduce the use and releases of PCBs and other POPs to the environment through the development and
implementation of a national PCB and POPs pesticides management system
Project
Components
1. Strengthening
of institutional
capacity
1
Indicate
whether
Investment,
TA, or
STA**
TA
Expected
Outcomes
Relevant
institutions are
enabled to
manage PCBs
and POPs
pesticides in an
environmentally
sound manner.
Project ID number will be assigned initially by GEFSEC .
UNIDO PIF MSP Armenia
15 May 2008
Expected Outputs
- Institutional capacity for the ESM
of PCB and POPs pesticides
evaluated.
- Managing data on chemicals and
wastes.
- POPs accounting, inventory and
reporting system improved.
- PCB inventories updated, PRTR is
set-up.
- Efficient cooperation on POPs
related issues and information/
knowledge and skills exchange for
decision makers, professionals and
public involvement ensured.
- Active and efficient participatory
process for concerned parties/
stakeholders on elaboration of
POPs issues organized. The
information system on chemicals
and wastes established and the
PRTR designed.
Indicative
GEF
Financing*
($)
%
180,000
36
Indicative Cofinancing*
($)
325,000
Total ($)
%
64
505,000
1
2. Strengthening
of policy and
regulatory
framework
TA
Strengthened
capacity of the
Armenian
Government to
comply with the
obligations of the
Stockholm
Convention
- Survey and evaluation of policy
and regulatory framework for the
environmentally sound
management of PCBs and POPs
pesticides carried out.
- Legal basis for POPs chemicals
and wastes management improved.
- Normative documents for sound
chemicals and wastes management
developed and adopted.
3. Nation wide
awareness
raising and
training
TA
Concerned
stakeholders
involved civil
society and
apply improved
knowledge on
the ESM of
POPs and
disposal
activities.
- Educational and training
4. Development
of an ESM
system for POPs
and feasibility
study for the
disposal of
PCBs and POPs
pesticides
TA
150,000
31
335,000
69
485,000
70,000
32
150,000
68
220,000
330,000
31
748,460
69
1,078,460
75,000
27
200,000
73
275,000
805,000
31
1,758,460
69
2,563,460
programmes embracing POPs
problems and chemical safety
issues for concerned stakeholders
developed and put in place.
- Training workshops held on POPs
issues for different population
groups (pupils, students, farmers,
manufacturers, power engineering
specialists, doctors) and mostly
vulnerable to POPs exposure
(children and women).
- Educational and awareness raising
programmes on POPs issues, risks,
consequences and required
mitigation measures for general
public developed and put in place.
- Network between scientists
established to exchange
information on international
chemicals management.
5. Project
Management
Total project
costs
Improved
capacity on POPs
management
issues, including
disposal of PCBs
and pesticides in
an
environmentally
sound manner.
- Management system for the
identification, record keeping and
tracking, collection, packaging,
transport, interim storage and
disposal of PCB developed and
operational in energy and industry
private sector; and POPs pesticides
waste in the “Waste Research
Center” of the Ministry of Nature
Protection.
- Feasibility study for the phase out
and disposal of POPs wastes
carried out.
- Affordable BAT and BEP options
for the Republic of Armenia
formulated.
- National risk reduction strategy on
priority chemicals, including POPs
formulated.
* List the $ by project components. The percentage is the share of GEF and Co-financing respectively to the total amount for the component.
** TA = Technical Assistance; STA = Scientific & technical analysis.
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B. INDICATIVE FINANCING PLAN SUMMARY FOR THE PROJECT ($)
Project Preparation*
GEF
Co-financing
Total
Project
25,000
50,000
75,000
Agency Fee
805,000
1,758,460
2,563,460
80,500
80,500
Total
910,500
1,808,460
2,718,960
* Please include the previously approved PDFs and planned request for new PPG, if any. Indicate the amount already approved as
footnote here and if the GEF funding is from GEF-3.
C. INDICATIVE CO-FINANCING FOR THE PROJECT (including project preparation amount) BY SOURCE and
BY NAME (in parenthesis) if available, ($)
Sources of Co-financing
Type of Co-financing
Project Government Contribution
Grant
In-kind
In-kind
Grant
Grant
In-kind
Project Government Contribution
GEF Agency UNIDO
Government of Switzerland
UNITAR
UNITAR
EU/Armenia
NATO
Private Sector
SAICM
Direct budgetary support
Grant
Unknown at this stage
Grant
Total co-financing
Amount
135,000
205,000
45,000
200,000
50,000
50,000
398,460
325,000
100,000
300,000
1,808,460
PART II: PROJECT JUSTIFICATION
A. STATE THE ISSUE, HOW THE PROJECT SEEKS TO ADDRESS IT, AND THE EXPECTED GLOBAL
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS TO BE DELIVERED:
1. The Republic of Armenia (henceforth Armenia) is eligible for GEF funding and ratified the Stockholm
Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on 26 November 2003. In order to facilitate early action on
the implementation of the Stockholm Convention, Armenia prepared its National Implementation Plan (NIP)
under the Convention through a GEF-supported Enabling Activities project. The objective of the NIP is to set
priorities for initiating future actions to eliminate the production and use of POPs. The NIP of Armenia was
implemented in 2002-2004 jointly with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) with
financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
A. 1. THE ISSUE:
2.
The environmentally sound management (ESM) of PCBs was identified in the NIP as one of the key tools of
priorities for Armenia to meet its obligations under the Convention. The findings of the NIP revealed that
Armenia has produced approximately 30,000 tons of PCB-containing dielectric fluids in the Leninakan
(Kamairi) area that were used for the production of small household capacitors. These and other sources of
PCBs in Armenia continued to pose serious threats to human health and the environment.
3.
The NIP revealed shortcomings in Armenia’s capacity to manage and dispose of PCBs in an environmentally
sound manner. In this regard, it was found that Armenia’s policy and regulatory framework did not adequately
address the issue of environmentally sound management of POPs. Moreover, owners of POPs chemicals, at
present, are not required to establish inventories of POPs chemicals, monitor their releases and report on the
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findings on a regular basis. The NIP also identified the limited capacity of Ministries, Agencies, and other
governmental institutions involved in the ESM of POPs and the need of technical and financial assistance to
ensure the ESM of POPs chemicals and related wastes in the country.
4.
As part of Armenia's NIP, a preliminary inventory of PCB-containing equipment and wastes as well as
contaminated sites was established. Due to limited financial resources and lack of laboratory and institutional
capacity, the PCB inventory did not include all sectors in the country and hence is only preliminary in its nature.
Moreover, it was found that there are significant shortcomings in the national infrastructure and capacity for the
safe storage, handling, collection, packaging and transport of PCB waste.
5.
According to the inventory carried out in the energy sector of Armenia, there are about 17,000 tons of PCBcontaining oils found in electrical equipment currently in use in state-owned power distribution stations and
HPPs (power transformers, rectifiers/converters, high voltage switches and circuit breakers, compressors, etc.).
Moreover, the PCB inventory revealed that there are about 1,624 tons of PCB-containing oils at various
industrial entities outside the energy sector. The substantial part of identified oils should be replaced and
disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. Besides the energy sector, mineral oils are widely used in
various branches of industry and for domestic demands (lifting mechanisms, transformers, different types of
compressors, etc.).
6.
The problem of polluted areas and stocks of POPs pesticides, including obsolete pesticides is of top-priority for
the country. The problem of obsolete stockpiles of pesticides (mainly organochlorine compounds) exists in
Armenia since the late 1970s when the use of these substances was banned or restricted. In the early 1980s, a
special location was approved and allotted for pesticides burial near Bardzrashen village. On the territory of this
burial site about 500 tons of obsolete pesticides were buried for final disposal, of which 250 tons are POPs
pesticides. The complexity of the problem emanating from the burial of obsolete pesticides is increased by the
fact that the burial site is located in a zone of active landslide processes, which increases the risk of a possible
leakage of POPs pesticides into the ground and surface waters as well as soils. This in turn may pose serious
adverse effects to human health and the environment and may have a negative impact on local agriculture.
A. 2. HOW TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE:
7.
The proposed project will provide a detailed analysis of Armenia’s institutional as well as technical capacity to
ensure the ESM of PCBs and other POPs wastes as required by the Stockholm Convention on POPs. Based on
this analysis, the proposed project seeks to develop strategies to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings.
This includes capacity building and the provision of technical assistance in the area of ESM of POPs (PCBs and
obsolete pesticides) through training and information campaigns. The activities based on training and
educational programmes will support the public awareness raising and education. Strengthening the awareness
of general public on POPs issues, risks, consequences and required mitigation measures, as well as development
and dissemination of POPs related information and organization and holding the training workshops on POPs
issues for different population groups (pupils, students, farmers, manufacturers, power engineering specialists,
doctors) and mostly vulnerable to POPs exposure (children and women) will facilitate the ESM strategy
development and implementation. The establishment of a PRTR and the design of information system on POPs
chemicals and wastes will help to achieve the project goals.
8.
The proposed project also aims at assisting the country to develop and implement legislation on the
environmentally sound management of PCBs. If enforced, this will enable Armenia to more effectively meet its
obligations under the Stockholm Convention to phase-out the use of PCBs-containing equipment and disposal
of PCB-wastes. The improvement of the legal basis for chemicals management, including POPs will generally
support the fulfillment of global agreements, specifically the Stockholm, Rotterdam and Basel Conventions and
SAICM.
9.
The development and adoption of a number of legislative documents for sound management of POPs chemicals
and wastes, including working-out normative acts for development and establishment of the Register on POPs
and POPs-containing wastes (obsolete pesticides and PCBs), as well as the establishment of the Central
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Analytical Laboratory on POPs to ensure analyses and control on the environment, will facilitate the
achievement of the project objective.
10. The establishment of information system on chemicals and wastes will improve the process of managing the
data as well as the existing system on accounting/inventory and reporting. In this regard the following
components of the information system should be set-up:
 National Register on Wastes;
 National Register on Chemicals, including POPs;
 State Cadastre on Wastes (classification of wastes generated in Armenia, including POPs wastes);
 State Register on the sites/entities, at which POPs-containing wastes are generated, processed, utilized, and
disposed;
 Data Bank on technologies for destruction and decontamination of POPs-containing wastes;
 Register of pollutants releases and transfer on POPs (PRTR).
11. In terms of national infrastructure for the ESM of PCBs, the proposed project will identify suitable interim
storage sites for PCB-containing waste, with the aim of minimizing the adverse effects of releases of PCBs to
human health and the environment. In this regards the feasibility studies for the disposal of POPs wastes (PCBs
and obsolete pesticides) should be carried out, as well as affordable BAT and BEP options for Armenia will be
formulated and finalized with relevant institutions and stakeholders.
A.3. EXPECTED GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS:
12. With the implementation of the proposed project, Armenia will be able to significantly reduce the use and
releases of PCBs and POPs pesticides. This in turn will help to reduce the global availability of these
substances, thus reducing their negative impact to human health and the environment on a global scale. The
project will hence contribute to global efforts to control POPs chemicals. It will also indirectly contribute to the
objectives of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and
Their Disposal and the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedures for Certain Hazardous
Chemicals.
B. DESCRIBE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE PROJECT WITH NATIONAL PRIORITIES/PLANS:
13. The project responds to national priorities in the field of POPs management identified in the NIP, such as:
 Identification of main sources of contamination by POPs at industrial entities, energy facilities, in
agriculture and other industry sectors;
 Inventory taking on PCB-containing oils and equipment in the energy and other industry sectors;
 Monitoring of contaminated areas of industrial entities and energy facilities;
 Identification of gaps in regulatory and policy framework and evaluation of institutional mechanisms
for regulation of POPs issues (import, export, minimizing releases, disposal, decontamination, final
disposal/ elimination);
 Development of specific actions to reduce and eliminate POPs in Armenia.
 Establishing a detailed inventory on main sources of POPs and POPs-containing wastes;
 Inventory taking on PCB-containing oils and equipment in energy and industry sectors of Armenia;
 Replacement of PCB-containing oils and equipment, which are currently exploited at different entities
of energy sector and industry of Armenia, by PCB-free oils and equipment;
 Establishment of a Central Analytical Laboratory on POPs to ensure analyses and control on the
environment;
 Environmentally sound disposal of PCB-containing oils and PCB-containing equipment, as well as
existing stockpiles of obsolete pesticides;
 Establishment of a register of pollutants releases and transfer (POPs PRTR);
 Setting-out and development of regulating and legal basis for the remediation of sites contaminated by
obsolete pesticides.
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14. The strategic goal on PCBs management and disposal in the final analysis is to develop the entire system of
actions on minimization and on elimination of the impact of PCBs to human health and the environment. It is
therefore necessary to carry out the following planning measures:
-
-
Development of a register of equipment containing PCBs and a regular annual update;
Identification of PCB-containing electrical equipment and appropriate labeling/marking;
Gradual (step-by-step) phase out and disposal of PCBs in the energy and other industry sectors;
Preparing solutions on decontamination of equipment and destruction of oils;
Development of proposals on creation of financial mechanisms for destruction of PCB–equipment;
Assessment/evaluation of capacities for PCB destruction both in-country and abroad;
Development of national standards for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of PCBs in
environmental media.
C. DESCRIBE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE PROJECT WITH GEF STRATEGIES AND STRATEGIC PROGRAMS:
15. The long term strategic objective in the POPs focal area of the GEF is to protect human health and the
environment by assisting countries to reduce and eliminate production, use and releases of POPs, and
consequently contribute to capacity development for the sound management of chemicals. The proposed project
addresses this objective and is in line with the GEF-4 Strategic Program (SP) 1 “Strengthening capacity for
National Implementation Plan (NIP) development and implementation”.
D. OUTLINE THE COORDINATION WITH OTHER RELATED INITIATIVES:
16. Armenia is currently implementing several activities on the regional and global level that focus on the
environmentally sound management of toxic substances. Besides implementing activities related to the
implementation of its obligations under the Basel and Rotterdam Conventions, the country is participating in the
SAICM Quick Start Programme with support from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research
(UNITAR). In addition, the country, with the funding from the European Union, will implement a project on the
environmentally sound management and disposal of obsolete pesticides. In the same area, Armenia is currently
preparing a project, with the support of the Nord Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which aims at the
acquisition and installation of analytical equipment for POPs analyses and the training of laboratory staff.
E. DISCUSS THE VALUE-ADDED OF GEF INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROJECT DEMONSTRATED THROUGH
INCREMENTAL REASONING :
17.
In the absence of GEF financing, the capacity for management of PCBs and POPs pesticides and the legal and
institutional frameworks would improve slowly. Consequently, the role of Government institutions in raising
the public awareness would continue to be low and the current conditions of handling and improper use and
disposal of PCBs and POPs pesticides will continue. Without assistance, the replacement of existing equipment
containing PCBs would continue at the current rate and there would be only modest improvements in the
storage and disposal capacity of the country. It is likely that the current practice of illegal recycling and reuse of
PCBs would continue. Since the existing storage sites would not be modernized in order to comply with
international standards, the country would face a continued contamination of soils and water resources with
PCBs and POPs pesticides, which would negatively impact human health and the environment. With GEF
support, Armenia would reduce the use and releases of PCBs and POPs pesticides and thus protect human
health and the environment from the negative impacts of these substances. The proposed GEF funded project
hence supports the country in meeting its obligations under the Stockholm Convention.
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F. INDICATE RISKS, INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS, THAT MIGHT PREVENT THE PROJECT OBJECTIVE(S)
FROM BEING ACHIEVED, AND IF POSSIBLE INCLUDING RISK MEASURES THAT WILL BE TAKEN:
RISK
MITIGATION MEASURES
Unstable public institutional condition in
Involvement and commitment of key stakeholders from the public
the country that could cause major structural and private sectors can greatly reduce this risk.
and human resource changes at the national
executing agency.
Delays in project implementation and low
quality performance due to low human
resources capacity.
Carefully selected well-staffed institutions with clear mandate and
measurable indicators. Moreover, an adaptive monitoring practice
will enable timely implementation and high quality results.
Opposition of the private and civil sector
regarding the management strategies for
PCBs and POPs pesticides.
Public awareness raising and inclusion of all stakeholders at the
concept level and in both project preparation and implementation
will minimize the likelihood of this risk to occur.
G. DESCRIBE, IF POSSIBLE, THE EXPECTED COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROJECT:
18. Cost-effectiveness and sustainability of the activities of the Project addressing the environmentally sound
management (ESM) of PCBs and POPs pesticides in Armenia will be evaluated in detail during the feasibility
study phase. This will be done for all different ESM activities. However inherent cost of disposal may vary as in
most Central European countries between US$3-4/kg
H. JUSTIFY THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE OF GEF AGENCY: The project falls within the comparative advantage of
UNIDO.
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III: APPROVAL/ENDORSEMENT BY GEF OPERATIONAL FOCAL POINT(S) AND GEF AGENCY(IES)
A. RECORD OF ENDORSEMENT OF GEF OPERATIONAL FOCAL POINT (S) ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT(S):
(Please attach the country endorsement letter(s) or regional endorsement letter(s) with this template).
Mr. Aram Harutyunan
Minister of Nature Protection of the Republic of
Armenia
GEF Political/Operational Focal Point
Date: 29.8.2007
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