Pharmaceutical waste: practices and challenges in ensuring their environmentally sound management | Basel Convention OEWG-14 side event

Pharmaceuticals are essential for maintaining human and animal health, enhancing food production, and supporting economic prosperity. However, they pose environmental and public health risks when released into the environment. Pharmaceuticals contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance, endocrine disruption, and can have toxic effects. While these substances can enter the environment during production, use, and through the excretion and disposal of unused medications, improper disposal of unused medicines is considered one of the major pathways for environmental contamination.

The main objective of this event is to shed light on current practices and pressing challenges in addressing pharmaceutical waste from various sources (health care, agriculture, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and household), and raise awareness on the need to ensure the environmentally sound management of unused pharmaceuticals through a One Health approach. It will also allow to share some of the existing best practices and approaches to foster collection and management. The event will feature experience from selected countries, IGOs and other relevant stakeholders.

The event is organized by UNEP in cooperation with the Geneva Environment Network in the margins of the Basel Convention OEWG-14. It is organized in the context of the project “Global best practices on emerging chemical policy issues of concern under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals management (SAICM) (EDCs, Environmentally Persistent Pharmaceutical Pollutants (EPPPs))” funded by the Global Environment Facility.

The event will be in hybrid format in person and online Register for online participation

More information on the event page