The International POPs Elimination Project (IPEP) aimed to enhance the skills and knowledge of NGOs to help build their capacity as effective stakeholders in the Stockholm Convention implementation process; and support longer term efforts to achieve chemical safety.

More than 200 NGOs in 64 developing and transitional countries engaged in 290 IPEP activities to provide concrete contributions to country efforts to prepare for Convention implementation.

Project activities included: preparing an overall description of the POPs situation in a country; mapping obsolete pesticide stockpiles and POPs-contaminated sites, promoting their proper remediation and disposal; sampling soil, eggs, fish, and people for POPs; investigating new POPs such as brominated flame retardants and lindane; raising awareness among stakeholders (eg farmers, rag-pickers, college students, women, agricultural workers, children, physicians, government officials, informal sector workers and others); and documenting the continuing use of POPs pesticides and promoting alternative farming methods. These were made available to governments and others, contributing to the country ratification efforts and the effective implementation of the Stockholm Convention. IPEP works in five languages (Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish), and it makes project materials and reports publicly available on a multi-lingual website.

IPEP was regionally coordinated by eight NGOs, designated the IPEN Regional Hubs. The Hubs foster awareness of POPs and help NGOs prepare proposals, oversee progress, and provide regional leadership. The IPEN Hubs are located in the Czech Republic (Central and Eastern Europe), Egypt (Middle East operating in Arabic), India (South Asia), Mexico (Latin America operating in Spanish), Philippines (Southeast Asia and the Pacific), Russia (Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia operating in Russian), Senegal (Francophone Africa operating in French), and Tanzania (Anglophone Africa).

The IPEP project has created increased awareness, understanding, and knowledge about POPs and chemical issues within national NGO communities and society as a whole. Most importantly, it has helped expand the capacity and competence of NGOs providing them with the confidence to become effective stakeholders in chemical management and policy activities