GAHP Annual Report 2016
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ANNUAL REPORT 2016 Executive Committee Eduardo Banzon Bjarne Pedersen Principal Health Specialist, Sustainable Development Executive Director and Climate Change Department Clean Air Asia Asian Development Bank John Pwamang Fanny Demassieux Deputy Executive Director Environment and Health Coordinator Chemicals Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-Ghana) and Health Branch UN Environment Marthe Rahelimalala Chief of Environmental Pollution Control Richard Fuller and SAICM Focal Point President Ministry of Environment, Madagascar Pure Earth (formerly Blacksmith Institute) Stephan Sicars Jill Hanna Director, Environment Branch, Adviser, Environment Directorate Programme Development and Technical European Commission Cooperation Division UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Karin Kemper Senior Director for the Environment and Douglas Webb Natural Resources Global Practice Team Leader, Health and Innovative Financing, The World Bank HIV, Health and Development Group UNDP Sumi Mehta Senior Director for Research and Evaluation Birgit Wolz Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves Head of Division IG II 2 “Environment and Health” Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany 2 Cover photo by Larry C. Price “ The impacts of pollution, on ecosystems and on human health and well-being, are under- recognised and solutions under-resourced. That is why the world’s Environment Ministers have chosen to focus 2017’s UN Environment Assembly on pollution. The theme “Towards a Pollution-Free Planet” is a lofty, but achievable goal that the members of GAHP will strive to achieve.” — LIGIA NORONHA, DIRECTOR Economy Division, United Nations Environment Programme Tannery workers in Bangladesh Photo by Larry C. Price ANNUAL 2016Photo by LarryREPORT C. Price3 Letter 4Photo by Larry C. Price From the Chair of the GAHP Executive Committee STORIES ABOUT POLLUTION—from choking effect of pollution on millions of people, the And last, but not least, GAHP, together with smog in Delhi and Beijing, to children being environment, and economies. The Lancet and the Icahn School of Medicine poisoned by lead-contaminated water in Flint, at Mount Sinai, launched the tremendous Michigan—made headlines around the globe in This mounting concern is reflected in the undertaking of the Commission on Pollution 2016. We already know that pollution is now the growing membership of the Global Alliance on and Health, with input from the United Nations largest environmental cause of death, stealing Health and Pollution (GAHP), which includes Environment Programme and the World Bank. nearly 9.6 million lives each year, according to the World Bank Group. More than 50 agencies The Commission report, published in October the Global Burden of Disease Project. Pollution and organizations have now joined the alliance, 2017, lays out in clear terms the extraordinary causes more than three times as many deaths with more than half of the members coming health and economic costs globally of pollution, as AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. from low- and middle-income countries. and provides actionable solutions for policy More than 90 percent of pollution-related makers to counter this threat. The World Bank deaths occur in low- and middle-income GAHP members are joining forces to leverage Group acknowledges that tackling pollution countries. Furthermore, the economic costs of scarce resources and tackle the problem of is a key development challenge, and one that pollution are enormous: a recent World Bank pollution in dozens of countries. They are is intimately linked with its dual mission of report estimated that air pollution alone cost addressing legacy pesticide contamination eradicating poverty and sharing prosperity. US$ 3.3 trillion in 2016 (or I$ 5.7 trillion in in Cameroon, lead poisoning from recycling We hope that you will join us as we work power purchasing parity) which was equivalent of used lead acid batteries in Indonesia, together over the next year to address pollution to 4.4% of global GDP in that year. and mercury releases from artisanal gold issues and improve the lives of millions mining in Peru. With assistance from GAHP We can no longer afford to ignore the threat of worldwide. members, Madagascar and Thailand adopted pollution. new planning processes to identify pollution Karin Kemper The silver lining is that the world is waking up problems that have a major impact on human Chair, GAHP Executive Committee to this challenge, with increased demand for health, accompanied by solutions that will Senior Director, Environment and Natural innovative solutions to counter the adverse make a difference to affected communities. Resources, The World Bank Group ANNUAL Cover photo by Larry C. Price 2016 REPORT 5 About 6Photo by Larry C. Price The Global Alliance on Health GAHP’S VISION and Pollution (GAHP) IS TO HELP The Global Alliance on Health and CREATE A Pollution was formed in 2012 in WORLD WHERE response to the growing crises PRESENT posed by toxic pollution. GAHP was AND FUTURE established to provide low-and GENERATIONS, middle-income countries with the ESPECIALLY tools to tackle toxic pollution and CHILDREN AND alleviate its impacts on human health. PREGNANT GAHP has been tasked to coordinate WOMEN, resources to identify and clean up ARE SAFE toxic hot spots in order to improve the FROM TOXIC health of affected populations. POLLUTION. ANNUAL 2016 REPORT 7 Mission n Build national capacity and priority country actions— Assist low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to GAHP is a collaborative body that facilitates the provision take concrete action to prioritize and address toxic of technical and financial resources to governments and pollution from legacy and Micro Small and Medium communities to reduce the impacts of pollution on health Enterprise (MSME) sites and reduce associated health in low- and middle-income countries. impacts. Strategic Objectives Structure n Promote scientific research about the scope of toxic The GAHP is made up of an Executive Committee, a pollution, its negative impacts on health, poverty Secretariat, a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and dozens and the environment, cost-effective solutions and of members and observers. It currently operates through successful models to help raise awareness about the its Secretariat, Pure Earth (formerly Blacksmith Institute). need for action, and develop performance-based The Executive Committee is responsible for setting GAHP’s metrics to measure change. Promote scientific research strategy and monitoring activities. The TAG provides about the scope of toxic pollution, its negative guidance and expertise to the policies and operations of impacts on health, poverty and the environment, the Alliance. GAHP is not yet a legal entity. cost-effective solutions and successful models to help raise awareness about the need for action, and develop performance-based metrics to measure change. n Build public and political will to address pollution by raising awareness of the health and environmental impact of all types of pollution in order to catalyze technical and financial resources for on-the-ground action in low- and middle-income countries. 8 ANNUAL 2016Photo by LarryREPORT C. Price9 2016 Accomplishments 10Photo by Larry C. Price GAHP Strategic Objective 1 Promote scientific research about the scope of toxic pollution, its negative impacts on health, poverty and the environment, cost-effective solutions and successful models to help raise awareness about the need for action, and develop performance-based metrics to measure change. Outcomes: n The Lancet Commission on Pollution & Health progressed and will be published in October 2017. n GAHP supported the publication of six peer-reviewed scientific papers and commentaries, and the report The Toxics Beneath our Feet. ANNUAL 2016 REPORT 11 The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health “Risk factors for children’s blood lead levels in metal mining and smelting communities in Armenia: a cross-sectional study,” Throughout 2016, GAHP continued its mission to create The BMC Public Health, Sept. 7, 2016. Ruzanna Grigoryan, Varduhi Commission on Pollution and Health, with the Icahn School of Petrosyan, Dzovinar Melkom Melkomian, Vahe Khachadourian, Medicine at Mt. Sinai and The Lancet journal, with additional Andrew McCartor and Byron Crape. coordination and input from the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank. The Commission comprises Children’s exposure to lead poses a significant risk for many of the world’s most influential leaders, researchers neurobehavioral consequences. Existing studies documented and practitioners in the fields of pollution management, lead contamination in residential soil in mining and smelting environmental health and sustainable development. The communities in Armenia. This study aimed to assess blood lead Commission on Pollution and Health will reveal pollution’s levels (BLL) in children living in three communities in Armenia severe and under-reported contribution to the Global Burden of adjacent to metal mining and smelting industries, and related Disease. It will uncover the economic costs of pollution to low- risk factors. and middle-income countries, and compare the costs of inaction to the costs of available solutions. It will inform key decision “Burden Of Disease Resulting From Lead Exposure At Toxic Waste makers around the world about the burden that pollution places Sites In Argentina, Mexico And Uruguay” Environmental Health, on health and economic