Events

The fourth meeting of the Eliminating Mercury Skin Lightening Products project stakeholders group took place online on Thursday 18 September 2025.

The GEF-funded, UNEP-led project “Eliminating Mercury Skin Lightening Products” is being implemented in collaboration with the Governments of Gabon, Jamaica, and Sri Lanka, with support from the World Health Organization and the Biodiversity Research Institute. The project aims to address the serious health and environmental risks posed by mercury-added skin lightening products.

The Global Mercury Partnership, its areas of work on mercury in products and waste management proposed a 90 minutes’ side event on the management of waste from mercury containing products held during the 2025 BRS COPs.

The workshop "Information exchange on phasing out fluorescent lamps under the Minamata Convention on Mercury" was held on 21st March 2025 in Lusaka, Zambia.

This event co-organized by the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the United Nations Environment Programme and the Geneva Environment Network will feature leading voices to highlight the need of addressing the underlying socio-cultural norms surrounding skin-lightening products.

The third meeting of the Eliminating Mercury Skin Lightening Products project stakeholders group took place on Thursday 30 January 2025, in an online setting.

The event provided an opportunity to share updates and lessons learned from the GEF project on Eliminating Mercury Skin Lightening Products, to present draft report on Cosmetics Listed in Part I of Annex A to the Minamata Convention on Mercury and to hear from stakeholders regarding their experiences.

Du 20 au 22 janvier 2025, Libreville a accueilli un atelier régional historique, réunissant 15 pays africains pour élaborer une stratégie unifiée visant à éliminer les produits éclaircissants pour la peau contenant du mercure et d’autres substances dangereuses. Il s’agissait de la première initiative régionale de ce type, marquant une étape importante vers la protection de la santé publique et de l’environnement sur tout le continent.

From January 20 to 22, 2025, Libreville hosted a landmark regional workshop, bringing together 15 African nations to develop a unified strategy to eliminate harmful skin-lightening products containing mercury and other hazardous substances. This marked the first regional initiative of its kind, signaling a significant step toward safeguarding public health and the environment across the continent.

In light of recent decisions of the fourth and fifth Conferences of the Parties to the Minamata Convention (COP-4 and COP-5), efforts towards the compliance with the Convention requirements should, among others, consider health and environmental matters jointly, ensuring as well as Parties and relevant stakeholders’ engagement on key information sharing and targeted actions.

Side Event: Phasing down the use of dental amalgam: Insights from Asia, Africa and South America  - A side event during the WHO Global oral health meeting

When: Thursday 28 November, 17:00 to 18:00

Where: Bangkok, Thailand

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