Mercury in products: Integrated approaches and innovative tools for a sustainable waste management - BRS COPs 2025 side event

Date: Wednesday 7 May

Time: 6:15 pm – 7:45 pm CEST

Where: Online and in person, in the Exhibition area

The Global Mercury Partnership, its areas of work on mercury in products and waste management, as well as sister agencies, are committed to building capacities in the management of mercury containing products wastes, including under the two GEF funded projects respectively on:

• Phasing down the use of dental amalgam, in Senegal, Thailand and Uruguay, and
• Phasing out mercury measuring devices in healthcare, in Albania, Burkina Faso, India, Montenegro and Uganda.

The partnership, together with its partners, is proposing a 90 minutes’ side event on the management of waste from mercury containing products to be held during the 2025 BRS COPs. The objective of the event is to build on existing experience and technologies to enhance stakeholders’ collaboration for the sound management of wastes resulting from mercury containing products in developing countries.

Among others, the side event intends to contribute to this year theme “Make Visible the Invisible: sound management of chemicals and wastes” through: i) linkages with relevant provisions of the Basel Convention regarding the sound management of chemicals/hazardous wastes ; ii) shed light on success stories and lessons learned from other projects on the subject, as well as reveal key aspects of administrative procedures for meeting Basel Convention requirements.  

The event will be moderated by the Global Mercury Partnership and will provide opportunity for remote attendance.

Registration link

AGENDA

6:15-6:25 Opening remarks and scene setting

6:25-7:00 Panel discussion 1: Joining forces in tackling the sound management of waste for Hg containing products at global level

• Key collaborations with relevant bodies and recommendations in treating Hg wastes - Eisaku Toda, Secretariat of the Minamata Convention
• Guiding parties in implementing requirements of the Basel convention: insights and recommendations on administrative and policy related processes
• Managing mercury waste in health care facilities: needs and effective, practical actions from countries and partners - Margaret Montgomery, World Health Organization

Questions & Answers Poll

7:00-7:35 Panel discussion 2: Solutions and lessons learned from the countries and experts

• Treating Hg wastes: shedding light on key steps, from collection to final disposal - David Hunter, BATREC
• Phasing out Mercury Measuring Devices and resulting wastes in healthcare: key progress, needs and way forward - Anne Nakafeero, National Environment Management Authority, Uganda
• Managing Hg containing wastes at national level: tools and capacities for treating dental amalgam wastes
• Key successes, challenges and next steps in managing mercury containing medical devices - Christopher Kanema, Ministry of Environment, Zambia
• Supporting South-South-North collaboration for a durable management of mercury containing wastes: key lessons learned and needs - Jashaf Shamir Lorenzo, BanToxics

Polls - Questions & Answers

7:35-7:45 Closing remarks - Grace Halla, GEF Chemicals and Waste Unit, UNEP