The Plan provides an overview of the nature of POPs, POPs-like substances as well as toxic chemicals, as a basis for understanding the importance of their effective management and the consequences of continued releases of these substances into the environment. It provides information on the requirements of the Stockholm Convention, the international legal agreement between consenting national parties, as to how the reductions in use of these chemicals and their release to the environment are to be achieved in the national context. An overview of the status of POPs use and presence in the