30 May, 2016
IPEN is very disappointed that China's position on lead in paint prevented the UNEA from adopting a global resolution on its elimination. This related article from Voice of America features quotes from IPEN's Global Lead Paint Elimination Campaign Manager and IPEN's Senior Science and Techincal Advisor: China Blocks UN Resolution to Curb Lead in Paint
28 May, 2016
At the UN Complex in Nairobi where the UNEA2 meeting took place, graffiti artist Wide Two raiseed awareness of lead poisoning among government delegates. See a short video about it here. IPENers Sara Brosché and Tadesse Amera also took part in painting the mural.
25 May, 2016:
IPEN Steering Committee Member Imogen Pua Ingram, from the organization Island Sustainability Alliance, Cook Islands, was a speaker at the side event: Delivering on sound management of chemicals and waste and on climate in the light of the Paris Agreement – A complementary approach for people and the environment. The event, co-hosted by the governments of Sweden and the United States, explored the links between chemicals management and climate change and considered how important it is to evaluate chemicals and climate impacts as a system in national policies. The program for the event can be seen here.
23, May, 2016:
Sara Brosché, PhD, IPEN's Lead Paint Elimination Project Manager, participated in a side event called Four Years to Phase Out Lead in Paint Worldwide, which was organized by the Lead Paint Alliance and took stock of the progress towards their goal to have legal limits to lead in paint in all countries by 2020. At the event, the US Environmental Protection Agency presented an interactive map showing an estimate of economic cost of childhood exposure to lead by the New York University. During the panel "Cross-sector cooperation towards the phasing out of lead in paint,” Dr. Brosché talked about the work IPEN has been doing to eliminate lead from paint, and emphasized the need to engage all stakeholders to successfully eliminate lead paint in a country.
Additional participants included, amongst others, Mr. Eisaku Toda (Chemicals and Waste Branch, UNEP), Ms. Walker Smith (US Environmental Protection Agency), Mr. Peter Numatala (Kenya Bureau of Standards), Ms. Stela Drucioc (Ministry of the Environment, Republic of Moldova) and Mr. Jonas Leones (Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines).
For more information about the event, see: http://www.unep.org/chemicalsandwaste/LeadandCadmium/LeadPaintAlliance/M...
23 May, 2016:
Joseph DiGangi, PhD, IPEN Senior Science and Technical Advisor, participated in a side event on Advancing Sustainable Chemistry in a Sustainable Development Context: Opportunities for Global, Regional and National Chemicals Management. The side event was organized collaboratively through the Government of Germany, Government of Ghana, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Chemicals and Waste Branch of DTIE (Department of Technology, Industry and Economics) and the Basel-Rotterdam-Stockholm Secretariat, and had the following objectives:
• Discuss the Sustainable Chemistry concept and related opportunities from developing countries’ perspectives;
• Examine the potential of Sustainable Chemistry in a SAICM beyond-2020 and 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda context;
• Provide an update on recent international developments and discussions related to Sustainable Chemistry and the chemicals and waste dimensions of the SDGs; and
• Showcase specific initiatives to advance sustainable chemistry, including related policy analysis and technical support.
Mr. DiGangi participated in the interactive panel discussion during the event.
For more information, see this invitation and the list of side events on the UNEA website.
19 May, 2016:
In the run-up to the 2nd United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA2), which will take place 23 - 27 May, 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya, IPEN has released its Views of Selected Issues at UNEA2. This document is a summary statement of some IPEN views about issues that will be taken up at the UNEA2, including: stakeholder engagement, sound management of chemicals and wastes, lead and cadmium, lead battery recycling, sustainable consumption and production, and marine plastic debris and micro plastics. العربية / English / español / русский / français
For more information about the Assembly, please go here
16 May, 2016:
IPEN has created three posters for the UNEA2-
The costs of a rapidly growing chemical industry are unsustainable