ISLAMABAD: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Programme Officer Dr Shunichi Honda has expressed all-out support on behalf of his organisation to help Pakistan weed out use of toxic mercury in different items including skin whitening creams, dental filling, batteries, fluorescent lights, felt production, thermometers and barometers, said Climate Change Ministry Deputy Director Media Mohammad Saleem in a press release issued here on Sunday.
“United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is committed to working with Pakistan to completely phase out the use of poisonous mercury at all levels by 2021 so as to protect public health and environment from its extremely adverse impacts,” he said during his meeting with Ministry of Climate Change Secretary Khizir Hayat Khan here in his office, said a press release.
Climate Change Ministry’s media focal person, Mohammad Saleem, said that the UNEP official Dr Honda also lauded the ministry’s efforts towards the gradual elimination of mercury use in collaboration with industrials, hospitals, municipalities, federal health ministry, federal and provincial protection agencies and other relevant government and non-governmental stakeholders.
“The UNEP official said that it is truly heartening for him to note Pakistan taking all-out and vigorous steps in collaboration with relevant government and non-governmental departments, industry and academia to achieve the goal of Pakistan mercury-free by the year 2020 and the country is well on track towards the goal,” Saleem told the media.
The ministry media focal person said that the climate change secretary told the senior UNEP official, Dr Honda, that the ministry was just close to completion of the draft final report on an initial assessment of mercury in Pakistan and preparation of mercury inventory, reports about causes, sources and impacts of mercury in the country.
Mohammad Saleem told media further that Khizir Hayat Khan also appreciated the financial and technical support of the UNEP to Pakistan the compilation of assessment report on mercury use, exposure, sources and impacts as well as preparation of the mercury inventory report being done as a part of eliminating the mercury use in the country.
The National Project Coordinator, Dr Zaigham Abbas told the meeting participants that 128 countries have signed the UNEP’s Minamata Convention on Mercury, which is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury, according to the ministry media focal person.
Zaigham further said that Pakistan signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury on October 10, 2013 and that Pakistan is committed to implementing provisions of the convention, which is an international agreement among the signing countries that seek to instrument that seeks over coming few years to enhance the reduction of mercury pollution from the targeted activities responsible for the major release of mercury to the immediate environment and consequent impacts on human health.
Zaigham also apprised the meeting participants that the national assessment on existing sources of information is being compiled and will soon be made available for national awareness-raising, outreach, identification of stakeholders.
“A national strategy to identify and assess mercury-contaminated sites is among the objectives of the project, which has almost been achieved,” said Mohammad Saleem.
