Vi Waghiyi (July 7, 2015): Sometimes when you live in a small, remote town you need support beyond your community to take care of your family and well-being. Savoonga is a traditional Yup'ik community on St. Lawrence Island in the northern Bering Sea, just 40 miles from the Chukotkan Peninsula of Russia. For much of the year we are surrounded by sea ice. Like our traditional Siberian relatives, we rely on bowhead whale, walrus, seals and other customary foods for most of our diet. But, recently, we relied on the peoples of Ghana, South Korea, El Salvador, Brazil, Switzerland, Norway, and over 80 other nations to support our health. Together, our work improved health globally, through a United Nations vote that banned the chemical pentachlorophenol.
A sub-regional skill share meeting of IPEN Participating Organizations (POs) took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan in June. The workshop was organized by Eco-Accord (IPEN Hub for the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) region) and IPEN PO Greenwomen from Kazakhstan. The goal of the meeting was to strengthen NGO capacity in Central Asia to actively participate in decision-making processes on chemical safety.
Strengthening Public Participation in Decision-Making on Chemical Safety in Central Asia
All three statements will be disseminated to the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, relevant national agencies, and organisations dealing with toxic chemicals production, use and import.
Numerous representatives from IPEN Participating Organizations have contributed to this new book, spearheaded by Red Latinoamericana de Nanotecnología y Sociedad (ReLANS), about nanotechnolgy, labor and regulation in Latin America.
Foundation in Support of Civil Initiatives (FSCI) and Independent Ecological Expertise (IEE), IPEN Participating Organizations in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, recently successfully completed Quick Start Programme-funded projects related to supporting SAICM and GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals) implementation in their respective countries.
Government of Nepal, Ministry of Science Technology and Environment (MOSTE) enacted Lead Paint Standard of 90 ppm to eliminate Lead based paint from Nepal through publishing a Gazette Notification (Nepal Gazette, Khand 64, Number 30, Part 5, dated 22 December 2014, Notice 3) as per the Rule 15 of EPR 1997. This standard has become effective from June 20, 2015.
