Appendix 7: Roadmap for the Design of National POPs Monitoring Programs

This report, serving as an appendix, presents a structured roadmap for designing national monitoring programmes for persistent organic pollutants under the Stockholm Convention. It outlines a systematic approach beginning with a national situation analysis covering inventories, existing data, institutional capacities, infrastructure and regulatory frameworks, followed by the definition of monitoring objectives using the data quality objectives process. The document specifies key design elements, including selection of substances, environmental matrices, sampling sites, frequency, analytical methods and data management. It emphasises the integration of a quality assurance plan throughout planning, implementation and evaluation, and clarifies institutional responsibilities, coordination mechanisms and engagement with global and regional actors to ensure comparability, reliability and long-term sustainability of monitoring activities.