Managing Mercury Waste a Growing Priority

Managing Mercury Waste a Growing Priority in the Pacific islands region

23 January 2015, Apia, Samoa - The first-ever sub-regional workshop on the Minamata Convention on Mercury was held in Apia, Samoa at the headquarters of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) from 19 to 21 January. The workshop, coordinated and organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), aimed to support Pacific islands in the early ratification and implementation of the Convention.

The workshop was officially opened by Prime Minister of Samoa, the Honourable Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi, who noted that Samoa was one of eighty-seven (87) countries to sign the historic Minamata Convention on Mercury in Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan in October 2013.

“In signing this instrument, we are signaling to the international and regional community our commitment to achieve the objectives of the Convention, that is, to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds,” said the Honourable Prime Minister. He noted that Samoa and other Pacific islands are dependent on fishing and tourism, and that both require clean and uncontaminated oceans.

The Prime Minister made reference to the Small Island Developing States Conference held in Samoa in September 2014 and said that Leaders, through the outcomes document of this conference (referred to as the SAMOA Pathway) had recognised that the sound management of waste and chemicals throughout their lifecycle is crucial for the protection of human health and the environment. However, he pointed out the current lack of data with regard to levels of mercury, particularly in Pacific fish, and other limitations of adequate institutional and border controls to managing mercury and other hazardous wastes.

“We therefore see the cooperation and partnership, as prescribed in the SAMOA Pathway, among all Parties and development partners to exchange information and build capacity as central to the successful and coordinated implementation among the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Stockholm, Rotterdam, Basel and the Waigani Conventions,” he said.

The honourable Prime Minister called upon UNEP, SPREP and other appropriate UN Agencies to explore ways of assisting Pacific island countries to ratify and implement the Minamata obligations and promote sustainable synergies among the other four chemical and wastes related conventions.

“This will greatly assist our small, fragile and vulnerable Islands, to meet their implementation and reporting obligations in a streamlined and cost-effective manner.”

Director General of SPREP, Mr David Sheppard, congratulated the Governments of Samoa and Palau on signing the Convention and urged all other countries represented at the workshop to begin the process of ratification as soon as possible.

The Director General also highlighted the Agreement to establish the Pacific Sub Regional Office of UNEP at SPREP, signed during the SIDS Conference last year.

“This workshop further reinforces the partnership between UNEP and SPREP to support better environmental management and sustainable development in our region and I believe this partnership is good news – for Pacific countries, for SPREP and for UNEP.”

Mercury is a highly toxic naturally occurring element. Mercury poisoning results in serious health disabilities, which include damage to speech and hearing, numbness, muscle weakness and deformities. Coma and death can result in extreme cases as was seen in the city of Minamata in 1956. The chemical has the ability for long-range atmospheric dispersion and is found in air, soil and water. Once released, either naturally or through human activities, it persists in the environment, which causes it to bioaccumulate in ecosystems and continue to cause harm to animals and humans. The Minamata Convention is an agreement that aims to protect human health and the environment by putting in place controls on the use and release of mercury.

Participants at the workshop were introduced to the various Articles of the Convention and familiarised with the actions that countries are required to take for the early implementation of the Convention at the national level. In addition, participants were informed about the eligibility criteria for accessing resources through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funding allocations to assist them in implementing their activities under the Convention.

Several presentations were made on national actions being carried out that were related to the implementation of the Minamata Convention. Additional presentations on available technical assistance and support were also made by a number of non-government and intergovernmental organisations, including BAN Toxics; Island Sustainability Alliance CIS Inc.; World Alliance for Mercury-free dentistry; United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR); World Health Organization (WHO); and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

SPREP also outlined the support and assistance it can provide its members in terms of GEF procurement procedures and technical support on mercury management.

Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu were represented at the workshop.

For more information contact Dr Frank Griffin, Hazardous Waste Management Adviser, SPREP.

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