National Road Maps from Two Pilot Countries, Mexico, and Ecuador - Appendix

This document presents the foundational elements for designing a national environmental monitoring programme for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Mexico, aligned with the Stockholm Convention. Developed through collaboration between AMBIENS consultancy, SEMARNAT, and international partners under GEF-funded GMP2 projects, it outlines Mexico’s historical progress, legal framework, National Implementation Plans (2007 and 2016), pollutant inventories, and analytical capacities. It evaluates POP contamination levels based on monitoring data from air, water, maternal blood, and breast milk, identifying both regulatory advances and persistent challenges in detecting and managing legacy and newly listed POPs. The document proposes a long-term monitoring programme linked to policy development, detailing sampling methodologies, analytical techniques, institutional roles, and capacity-building needs. It highlights Mexico’s progress in regulating substances like DDT, PCBs, and dioxins, while also identifying gaps in infrastructure, inter-laboratory comparability, and coordination.