Events

This event co-organized by the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the United Nations Environment Programme and the Geneva Environment Network will feature leading voices to highlight the need of addressing the underlying socio-cultural norms surrounding skin-lightening products.

The third meeting of the Eliminating Mercury Skin Lightening Products project stakeholders group took place on Thursday 30 January 2025, in an online setting.

The event provided an opportunity to share updates and lessons learned from the GEF project on Eliminating Mercury Skin Lightening Products, to present draft report on Cosmetics Listed in Part I of Annex A to the Minamata Convention on Mercury and to hear from stakeholders regarding their experiences.

From January 20 to 22, 2025, Libreville hosted a landmark regional workshop, bringing together 15 African nations to develop a unified strategy to eliminate harmful skin-lightening products containing mercury and other hazardous substances. This marked the first regional initiative of its kind, signaling a significant step toward safeguarding public health and the environment across the continent.

Du 20 au 22 janvier 2025, Libreville a accueilli un atelier régional historique, réunissant 15 pays africains pour élaborer une stratégie unifiée visant à éliminer les produits éclaircissants pour la peau contenant du mercure et d’autres substances dangereuses. Il s’agissait de la première initiative régionale de ce type, marquant une étape importante vers la protection de la santé publique et de l’environnement sur tout le continent.

The second meeting of the Eliminating Mercury Skin Lightening Products project stakeholders group took place online on Tuesday 21 May 2024.

The event provided an opportunity to share updates and lessons learned from the GEF project on “Eliminating Mercury Skin Lightening Products” and hear from stakeholders regarding their experiences. 

The First meeting of the Eliminating Mercury Skin Lightening Products project stakeholders group took place online on Tuesday 28 November 2023.

Skin lightening products often contain potentially harmful ingredients, including steroids, hydroquinone and toxic mercury compounds, that not only damage the skin but can lead to serious health concerns.

Using cosmetics to inhibit the body’s production of melanin, leading the skin to appear lighter, is a centuries-old practice that continues in many parts of the world today. However, consumers are often unaware that these products contain a host of harmful chemicals including mercury, causing skin rashes and discoloration, scarring, nervous, digestive and immune system damage, as well as anxiety and depression.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project, Eliminating Mercury Skin Lightening Products is implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and co-executed by The World Health Organization (WHO) and Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) with technical support by the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership.

Wednesdays for the Planet is a series of online screenings and virtual presentations with experts highlighting the natural world and other environmental challenges our planet faces. The virtual screenings are for educational purposes, non-profit and non-commercial.

More about the event

The UNEP Global Mercury Partnership and its Area of work on Mercury in Products, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, organized on 30 November 2020 a webinar to focus on the issue of mercury in skin lightening products. The event looked into the adverse effects of these products, shared information, and discussed some of the practices, experiences as well as challenges faced by countries and other stakeholders in meeting the 2020 deadline for phase out under the Minamata Convention.