Pesticide Action Nexus (PAN)-Ethiopia pioneered an initial assessment of Ethiopia's E-waste situation and began a national conversation with leading Ethiopian stakeholders about the future of e-waste management. Project activities included an initial month long assessment, a national stakeholder workshop with various community and government officials, and a follow up visit to the country's only existing refurbishment center.
Observatorio Latinoamericano de Conflictos Ambientales (OLCA) conducted a literature review and community based research in order to produce a report detailing the contamination and pollution coming from two open pit gold and silver mines in Chile. Among other results, OLCA found that both these mines use a very toxic process (cyanide) for extracting these metals, which has been found to leech mercury and cyanide into the environment. Additionally, workers at these mines were found to have symptoms consistent with mercury poisoning.
Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev) surveyed and interviewed employees of three Lagos area hospitals to document how mercury-containing devices are handled and disposed of. Questions were also asked about employee’s opinions concerning the transition of non-mercury-containing thermometers. Results of the surveying were then shared with relevant stakeholders at a day-long workshop at which potential policy and regulation changes concerning mercury use in hospital devices were discussed.
Nigeria is one of the largest importers of e-waste in Africa. In this project, Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev) undertook a general impact assessment of the effects of this e-waste on workers. The project succeeded in creating a national database of the levels of risk associated with the e-waste, forming an NGO model for e-waste management, and creating awareness material that conveyed best handling practices.
Association d'Education Environnementale et de Protection des Oiseaux au Maroc (SEEPOM) led an awareness-raising campaign about the domestic sources of mercury and the hazards they pose to human and environmental health. The campaign used several techniques to accomplish their objectives, including focused press releases and television interviews, development of informational brochures that detail health impacts of mercury, and intensive reach out and networking with other NGOs and influential governmental officials.
Land and Human to Advocate Progress (LHAP) conducted a national awareness campaign to educate the public about the current situation of electric and electronic waste in Jordan. After an initial assessment, surveys exploring the public’s opinions about this issue were administered in schools and electronic shops throughout the country, and conferences with civil society organizations were implemented to create a dialogue about EE-waste.
Centro de Diagnostico y Alternativas para Afectados por Tóxicos (CEDAAT) conducted research and public awareness activities to help communities in their demands against pollution coming from the ECOLTEC plant (a waste facility that produced fuel for cement kilns) in Mexico. ECOLTEC declared in an Environmental Impact Assessment that they would produce Volatile Organic Compounds, and the standard for cement kilns includes a series of dangerous heavy metals.
Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Philippines, in collaboration with Community Based Health Services (CBHS) Mindanao, conducted several capacity-building activities with peasant groups, farmers and residents of Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur, agricultural areas heavily impacted by the use of hazardous pesticides. These included focus groups, key informant interviews, and information dissemination about the dangers of pesticides and alternatives to pesticide use (such as IPM) available to them.
In order to promote SAICM’s provisions of green growth and sustainable development, the Kazakh NGO Greenwomen (in colloboration with Eco-Accord) organized several sessions, made key presentations, and actively participated and led discussion group forums at the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific (MCED-6). Specifically, their presentations centered on describing their experiences on what actions NGOs should be practicing to address the SAICM provisions.
Associação de Combate aos Poluentes (ACPO) organized a meeting of eight representatives of chemical safety and environmental health NGOS from six Brazilian states in order to provide updates on the Stockholm Convention, SAICM and the Mercury Treaty process, as well as to increase the awareness of toxic chemicals in Brazil. During this meeting, a national network, REBLIT, was created to provide a central focus on the chemical agenda, to raise public awareness and to share experiences and information.
