Meet the director
Kateřina Šebková (read Katerzina Shebkovaa) has a degree and PhD in chemistry (graduate of Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague, Czech Republic and Université Louis Pasteur-Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques in Strasbourg, France). She coordinates activities, cooperates with stakeholders and identifies opportunities to use research outputs, expertise and instrumentation, laboratory and other capacity of the RECETOX to respond to needs of its stakeholders in chemicals management, to accelerate the implementation of the Stockholm Convention, and other global instruments in the field of chemicals and wastes and to contribute and to find solutions to pressing environmental issues.
Katerina worked as chemical expert and international negotiator for the Czech Ministry of Environment in chemicals management, in particular on mercury and persistent organic pollutants, at the EU and the United Nations level for eight years (2003-2011). Her work comprised preparation of the national legislation, transposition of the EU law as well as negotiation of EU laws in relation to chemicals. She was also in charge of preparing a number of national positions, implementation plans and strategies as well as assessment reports to be submitted nationally, to the EU and internationally and she continues to provide support to the Czech ministry in her function of the Director of the National Centre for Toxic Compounds at present in the fields of the Environment protection and Health.
As a director of the National Centre of Toxic Compounds and of the Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for capacity building and the Transfer of Technology, her work comprises cooperation with Czech and international stakeholders, teaching, training and support policy-science communication and application of science in practice. She works with individual European countries (in the EU and non-EU and associated countries) to support preparation of the national/regional policies and priorities related to the protection of the environment and health, implementation plans and inventories on chemical management (EDCs, POPs and mercury), prepares and implements capacity building projects in the CEE region in relation to chemicals management, supports design/harmonization of institutional/legal frameworks, supports policy-science communication interface and produces communication and awareness raising materials since 2005. Over the years, she has shared the EU (Czech, Swedish and Slovak) experience and legislation with a number of non-EU Central and Eastern European countries - Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia and Republic of Macedonia regarding their chemical legislation, needs for framework laws and specific government legislation as well as practical experience in the institutional hierarchy and information flow.
She also works with international organizations such as UN Environment, World Health Organization, UNIDO, UNDP and Secretariats of the multilateral environmental agreements protecting human health and environment as consultant, trainer and chairperson. Last but not least, she is member of a number of expert and policy bodies under global chemical agreements (Global Coordination Group and Regional Organisaton Groups for POPs monitoring under Stockholm Convention, Effectiveness Evaluation Committee under Stockholm Convention and Mercury Monitoring Expert Roster) and the EU (for example the High-level Roundtable on the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability).
