The third day of COP2 is about Minamata Initial Assessments: Ratification and inventories , mainly includes Mercury in the European Environment and Population presented by European Environment Agency, Open waste burning – emerging evidence from developing countries presented by UN Environment and UNITAR and Lessons learned: Useful Tools for the Effectiveness Evaluation in 21st century presented by The Czech Republic and Italy.
Minamata Initial Assessments (MIAs) were designed to support the ratification and early implementation of the Minamata Convention. The European Environment Agency (EEA) is an agency of the European Union, whose task is to provide sound, independent information on the environment. This topic will be presented using a combination of animations/video, verbal presentation and audience engagement. Printed copies of the report will also be made available. The presentation will be provided by an expert from the EEA, Dr. Ian Marnane.
UNITAR and UN Environment are currently collecting new data on different aspects of the open waste burning issue in relation to mercury. This includes emerging literature data on mercury concentrations in waste in developing countries, and the emissions and releases of mercury from open waste burning to the environment, as well as any original data on the current trends on input of waste with products and materials.
Asian Center for Environmental Health and World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry intervened on African CRP in the third day of the Second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, COP 2 at Geneva, Switzerland. Siddika Sultana made the intervention on behalf of Asian Center and María Isabel Cárcamo Pavez intervened on behalf of World Alliance.
The World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry works closely with the governments and civil society, especially the dental profession and civil society organizations, across Asia Africa, the Americas, , Europe, and Island States to end amalgam for children immediately, and to phase out all amalgam use by, for example, 2020 and 2022 (as per country situation). Spearheading an alliance of 73 NGOs, the World Alliance asked Executive Director Erik Solheim for UN Environment to partner to have a global workshop addressing amalgam for children – which the E.D. authorized and to which he gave the opening address. Held in May 2018 in Bangkok and tailored precisely to the goal stated in the Minamata Convention preamble — “Women, Children and through them Future Generations” – workshop participants formulated “roadmaps” for major reductions in dental amalgam use, which we will demonstrate in this showcase event and it will be effective for the participants of the conference who is working to phase down and phasing out dental amalgam use in their own nation. The third day side event included ‘Phase down amalgam and non-use in children: Lessons from Bangkok global workshop focused on “Women, Children and through them Future Generations” ‘.
The prime objectives of the side events are Non-use of dental amalgam in children by 2019 and Non-use of dental amalgam use by 2022. The Targeted Audience were: government (health and/or environment ministries), Environmental NGOs, INGO’s, UN agency officials, Media, Other relevant participants of the meeting. Expected Results are many common measures will be shared that taken by countries which had effectively eliminated or significantly reduced the use of amalgam. The side event was run by audio visual presentation and some khowledge products were shared like booklet, report and flyers.
