This article is based on remarks delivered by Mamadou Lamine DIAME at the GGKP round table “National Coordination Mechanisms for Robust NIP Implementation,” held on 13 November 2025.
Senegal has long recognised that the effective implementation of the Stockholm Convention depends on coordinated, multisectoral action. After submitting its first National Implementation Plan (NIP) in 2006 and revising it in 2014, the country launched its third NIP update in 2022. Behind this effort stands a national coordination mechanism (NCM) that brings ministries, laboratories, regional centres, civil society, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and technical experts into a structured system for generating reliable data, resolve bottlenecks and and define strategic directions for the management of chemicals and hazardous substances. This article presents how Senegal established this mechanism, who are the members, how it works in practice, and what lessons it can offer to countries undertaking similarly complex NIP updates.
Establishment of the Coordination Mechanism
Senegal’s NCM is anchored in four main components: the Basel and Stockholm Regional Centre for French-speaking African countries, the steering committee, the technical committee, and the experts responsible for compiling the inventories. The steering function is performed by the National Commission for the Management of Chemicals, created in 2002 and housed within the Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition. As part of the Global NIP Update (GEF 10785), launched in February 2023, Senegal identified this Commission as the most suitable body to serve as the official steering committee. Its mandate was formalised by a ministerial order.
To make the mechanism operational, the Ministry engaged key institutions from the outset of the NIP review process. The Ministries of Health, Finance (through Customs), Agriculture, Trade and Industry were each asked to designate formal NIP focal points who act as direct contacts for the NIP review. Regular meetings with these focal points are often organised with the main objective of facilitating data transmission, ensuring continuity of action and overcoming any obstacles arising from staff turnover and administrative restructuring—a frequent challenge in long-term environmental governance.
Key Institutions Engaged in the Mechanism
One of Senegal’s strengths is the breadth of institutions engaged in the NCM. The National Commission for the Management of Chemicals brings together virtually all the technical services involved in chemicals management: the Ministries of Environment; Health; Commerce; Finance via the Customs services; Agriculture; Labour; and Civil Protection—all supported by specialised laboratories and the Senegalese Association for Standardization (ASN). The Directorate of Civil Protection, hosted within the Ministry of the Interior, contributes through inspections of buildings and monitoring of chemicals used in construction, while the ASN sets national standards for the use of chemicals in products.
Senegal has also embedded civil society in its mechanism. The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Africa participates in the steering committee and acts as an interface on pesticide issues in cash crop areas. The technical committee—composed of the ministries most directly responsible for chemicals management—is more intensively involved in transmitting data for inventories and validating draft reports, serving as the bridge between experts and the steering committee.
How the Mechanism Works in Practice
Operational leadership is provided by the Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition through the Stockholm Convention focal point. This focal point works directly with national experts and laboratories responsible for conducting inventories and thematic studies. Experts receive terms of reference and guidance, develop data sets and prepare draft technical reports.
These provisional documents are first reviewed by the technical committee. This group validates data, ensures methodological consistency, and resolves issues that arise when experts face difficulties obtaining information—particularly from industrial stakeholders. Only after technical approval are the documents forwarded to the steering committee for broader, higher-level validation.
This two-tier system is intentional, ensuring that technical checks precede national validation. Steering committee members typically meet for short sessions and cannot be expected to scrutinise lengthy technical reports in detail. By conducting rigorous technical verification, Senegal ensures that the data approved at the steering committee level is robust. Following national validation, documents are forwarded to the Basel and Stockholm Regional Centre for transmission to the Convention Secretariat.
What This Mechanism Has Made Possible
This institutional architecture has been central to generating and consolidating inventory data. For POP pesticides, the Plant Protection Directorate provided lists of importers, formulators and sites of use, and helped identify high-risk agricultural areas. This enabled to identify the pesticides in circulation and in use in Senegal, as well as the quantities involved and the POP pesticides still in circulation illegally.
For unintentional POPs (uPOPs), the iron production sector, through the recycling of scrap iron and other metals, is recognised as one of the main sources of emissions. Collaboration with the Ministries of Industry and Trade has provided information on cement and iron production—key areas for uPOPs assessment. The Ministry of Trade has also facilitated the alignment of Harmonized System (HS) codes with national product codes, thereby strengthening the identification of certain items used in construction and furniture that may contain POPs.
Challenges and lessons for other countries
Despite these achievements, several challenges persist. Integrating new actors into the system is not always straightforward. During the PCB inventory, for example, it was initially difficult to obtain data from the national electricity company on transformers in service or in storage. High-level intervention by the ministry in charge for this sector was required to facilitate cooperation. Maintaining focal points, who often carry a heavy workloads and may not have time to review draft reports, is another recurring difficulty.
“The process can sometimes feel lengthy”, but as Mr. Diame noted, “this careful validation is essential because the final data will stand as Senegal’s official position at the international level.”
Senegal has learned several lessons from its experience. First, institutions directly affected by POPs must be integrated into the mechanism from the outset. In the case of PCBs, once the electricity company was formally included in the process, data sharing and access to storage sites for decommissioned transformers improved significantly. Second, formally designated focal points in each ministry are essential entry points for data transmission, but also for facilitating expert engagement. Third, reporting deadlines must be respected to keep the NIP update on schedule. Fourth, lighter procurement procedures would reduce bottlenecks and accelerate implementation.
To learn more about the Global NIP Update project, visit Global NIP Update | Green Policy Platform
For a deeper dive into the GGKP round table “National Coordination Mechanisms for Robust NIP Implementation”, you can access the full recordings and materials here: https://www.greenpolicyplatform.org/webinar/national-coordination-mechanisms-robust-nip-implementation
This article was curated by Soomin Bae, Knowledge Management Support Consultant, GGKP/GGGI and reviewed by Anastasiya Buchok, Senior Project Associate, GGKP/GGGI.
