Awareness raising workshop on POPs in Egypt by CP/RAC

The UNEP / MAP Regional Activity Center for Cleaner Production (CP/RAC) organized an awareness raising workshop on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the American University of Cairo (Egypt). The "POPs in our Life" workshop took place on 15th November 2011 with the aim to give attendants basic information about toxic chemicals that are present in our daily life.

The workshop brought together twenty participants  including students, university professors, professionals from the private sector, members of NGOs and representatives of the Ministry of Environment. During the workshop, the chemicals were identified, as well as the ways in which these chemicals can affect our health and environment. Furthermore solutions to minimize their presence were also examined.

The first part of the workshop was theoretical, with an introduction to POPs and the role of the Stockholm Convention and its Regional Centers; the second part of the training was interactive, including short videos about POPs in textile, electronics and food. The closing of the workshop was preceded by the projection and the debate of the film Silent Snow, a documentary by Jan van den Berg focusing on the way chemical residues from all over the world are being accumulated in the Arctic invisibly, poisoning both humans and animals.

The "POPs in our Life" Workshop was part of the three-day workshop "Egypt Green Days", a CP/RAC initiative with the support of CEDARE and the American University in Cairo.

For more information follow the link here.