IPEN Africa Sub-Regional Meeting held in Yaoundé, Cameroon

In December, IPEN held an African Sub-Regional Meeting in order to foster relationships among IPEN Participating Organizations (POs) in the region; learn from each other by sharing skills, experiences, and best practices; expand knowledge about international chemical policy developments; and update POs in the region on the IPEN 2020 goals. The meeting, held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, was hosted by IPEN Francophone Africa Regional Hub Centre de Recherche et d’Education pour le Développement (CREPD) and IPEN Anglophone Africa Regional Hub Agenda for Environment and Responsible Development (AGENDA). Representatives from POs in 19 countries participated in the meeting, which was conducted both in French and English.

The opening day of the meeting focused on orienting NGOs to IPEN’s operation, and introductions of each NGOs’ chemical safety work and priorities. The following day began with overview sessions on the Stockholm Convention, Mercury Treaty and Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Managment, with a focus on African priorities within these. In addition, there was a presentation on IPEN's lead paint elimination work and break-out groups where Anglophone African NGOs and Francophone African NGOs will convene to discuss their priorities.