In alignment with the provisions of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which Nigeria is a Party to, the country will achieve a complete phase out of mercury in amalgam use in dentistry by 2022.

This formed the kernel of a unanimous decision by participants at a National Stakeholders Summit on “Development of a National Policy for the Phasedown of Dental Amalgam Use in Nigeria” on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 in Abuja. The forum had “Towards Mercury-free Dentistry in Nigeria” as its theme.

While emphasising that coordinated actions are needed to drive the phase down of Amalgam use, delegates resolved to end the use of dental amalgam as restorative material in children under 16 years, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers (the vulnerable group) by December 2020.

Towards achieving this, they recommended that the Federal Government should initiate a coordinated multi-sectoral approach for an effective phase down of use of dental amalgam in the country.

Besides the introduction and promotion of alternatives/transition to alternatives through subsidies, participants clamoured the initiation of a phased down work plan, which they stressed must also include legislative review and development of guidelines, gathering baseline data and developing the National Policy.

While stopping the inflow of amalgam from other countries and donor agencies, and updating dental school curricula and training of academic staff of dental schools, it was also suggested that the media should be engaged in awareness creation on the health impacts of mercury in dental amalgam.

Besides halting the inflow of amalgam from other countries and donor agencies and devising a government budget sub-head for mercury management in products, participants demanded a government policy to reduce duties or provide waivers for the alternatives to amalgam and encourage lower tariff for alternative restorative materials.

Delegates also agreed to:

• Engage financial experts for advice on how to access available funds from global donor agencies to support the phase down implementation;
• Intensify the campaign for improved oral health at all levels in order to promoted prevention and reduce the need for Dental restorations; and,
• Modify National Health Insurance Scheme and government programmes

The objective of the summit, organised by the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the USA-based World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, and Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria), was to provide a platform for national stakeholders to work collegially to begin the phase down of the use of dental amalgam, review the National Policy on phase down of dental amalgam use, and develop a draft phase down roadmap for Nigeria.

The forum brought together some 102 participants drawn from government, dental practitioners, dental surgery technicians, academia, civil society groups and the media to deliberate on policy issues for the phasing down of the use dental amalgam in the country.

Goodwill messages were delivered by the Nigerian Orientation Agency (NOA), Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Nigerian Dental Association (NDA) and the World Alliance for Mercury Free Dentistry (WAMFD).

In a keynote address, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Ehanire Osagie, provided an overview of mercury as a toxic substance posing a global threat, noting the damaging effects on health and environment.

According to him, the Minamata Convention calls for a phase down and consequently a phase out of the use of dental amalgam, adding that policy to be developed should give preference to a “phase out” for children, pregnant and breastfeeding women.

He said: “There is still a regrettably low level of awareness of the dangers of mercury, and the development of this policy on the phasedown of dental amalgam will give first priority to ending its use in pregnant and breastfeeding women and children in Nigeria. It is a task requiring multiple competences. I therefore urge all experts to engage each other exhaustively at this stakeholder meeting to develop a robust national policy document.”

While delivering a guest lecture, Prof. G. T Arotiba of the University of Lagos stressed that, contrary to the widely held impression that dental mercury mostly goes into the mouth of the patient, and stays there until a person dies, a close examination of the mercury life-cycle however shows that nearly 80% of the dental mercury used every year goes into the solid (municipal or hazardous) waste and wastewater streams.

He described mercury as a potent neurotoxin, with other systemic effects, adding that the fetus and young children especially vulnerable.

“There has been and two to three-fold increase of mercury in the environment since the Industrial revolution, and levels predicted to double by 2050,” Prof. Arotiba warned.

Executive Director of SRADev Nigeria, Dr Leslie Adogame, in a presentation, disclosed that a study revealed that most dental clinics/hospital and incinerators/medical waste treatment facilities in Nigeria are very high-risk environments for mercury vapour emissions and as such pose serious health risk to workers and the general population.

He suggested that the current curriculum at dental colleges and teaching institutions be reviewed and revised to include mercury toxicity and hazards, mercury specific occupational and health safety, mercury releases and emissions control, environmentally sound mercury waste management, non-mercury dental fillings and alternate material and capsulated mercury amalgam and mechanised mixing technologies.

Dominique Bally Kpokro of the African Centre for Environmental Health as well as World Alliance for Mercury-free Dentistry stated that Africa is leading the world to have amalgam phase down steps in the Minamata Convention in countries like Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Congo, Tunisia, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Zambia, and Mauritius.

In Côte d’Ivoire for example, he listed activities to include:

• Opening of a mercury-free dental clinic in Abidjan
• Monitoring of mercury vapours in all dental clinics
• Change of dental curricula in dental faculty
• Validation of regulation banning amalgam use for children pregnant women and nursing mothers

The Minamata Convention is a global treaty intended to protect humans and the environment from the anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds, recognised as chemicals of global concern, due to long-range atmospheric transportability, persistence in the environment, ability to bio-accumulate in ecosystems and have negative effects on health and the environment.

The Special Representative of UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, says the conflicts between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria are becoming more sophisticated and deadlier.

Chambas, who is Head, UN Office for West African and the Sahel (UNOWAS), in a report presented to the UN Security Council, said the violence was a major security threat in the region, warning that it risks changing into terrorist attacks.

“Violence between farmers and herders is increasingly a major security threat in the region and risks morphing into the terrorist attacks that have defined the security landscape.

“Farmer-herder conflicts are becoming more sophisticated and deadlier, especially in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.

“During four days in June, new spates of attacks and retribution killings between herders and farmers in this region resulted in scores of deaths,’’ the UN envoy for said.

In the Lake Chad Basin, Chambas said despite gains made by the Nigerian armed forces and the Multinational Joint Task Force, Boko Haram remained active.

The UN envoy for West Africa and the Sahel said: “The trend of Boko Haram, using female suicide bombers continues, and reportedly almost one in five suicide bombers is a child.

“The most recent attacks on a Nigerian military garrison in Yobe and the ambush of a military convoy in Borno are the latest manifestations of the threats still posed by Boko Haram.

“There is a need for increased support to diplomatic, security and humanitarian responses to Boko Haram, in a holistic manner.

“To this end, UNOWAS is providing technical support for a joint summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), on July 30, as called for by Security Council resolution 2349 (2017).

He explained that the severe depletion of Lake Chad had led to environmental degradation, socio-economic marginalisation and insecurity for 45 million people.

According to him, an estimated 2.3 million people remain displaced by the aggregate effects of insecurity and climate change.

He appealed to Member States to support the humanitarian response to the Lake Chad crisis, which remains critically underfunded and revitalisation of the Lake Chad Basin.

“Let me stress that any military response to security challenges in the region needs to be matched by the implementation of comprehensive strategies linking security and humanitarian interventions to development and human rights initiatives.

“There is also need to increase our collective efforts to address the challenges facing the Sahel region with actions that combine politics, security and development,’’ Chambas stressed.

He said the period under review saw an upsurge in popular discontent in the region manifested through often violent demonstrations calling for political and economic reforms.

“The sometimes violent conduct of security forces, notably in dealing with popular demonstrations, has also fuelled political tensions.

“Commitment by countries of the region and support from the international community will be key to ensuring the effectiveness and accountability of security sector institutions as part of broader security sector reform efforts.

“Several countries continue to struggle with justice, national reconciliation and human rights challenges.

“Among those is the concerning number of high-profile arrests, judicial prosecutions and convictions against political and civil society actors.

“We must collectively continue to urge Member States to provide an enabling environment for the exercise of the freedoms of expression and assembly, which are critical in consolidating democracy and good governance,’’ the UN envoy said.

He said UNOWAS would continue to closely monitor the situation with forthcoming elections in Nigeria, Mauritania and Senegal.

“In some countries of the region, including Nigeria, UNOWAS is working closely with ECOWAS and other partners to support the establishment of national peace architectures that can provide a systematic and inclusive approach to the prevention, management and resolution of conflict.’’

By Prudence Arobani

Inspired by discussions on the possibilities of transformational change, a keynote address by Canadian astronaut Roberta Bondar, and a celebration of indigenous culture, more than 1,000 delegates from around the world concluded two critical meetings of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Montreal, Canada.

The meeting resulted in recommendations to accelerate and scale up actions needed to achieve existing global biodiversity targets by 2020 (the Aichi Biodiversity Targets). Governments also addressed the process for negotiating a new and more effective global biodiversity framework for the post-2020 period.

Dr. Cristiana Paşca Palmer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and CBD Executive Secretary, noted that “The results in Montreal reflect governments’ awareness of the need for accelerated actions to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.  The outcomes of these meetings identified key areas that require additional attention. What we need now is to turn these discussions into effective and inclusive actions on the ground.”

The 22nd meeting of the Convention’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-22) and the second meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-2), which were held from 2 to 13 July 2018, represented the last preparatory processes before the UN Biodiversity Conference 2018 being held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt this November.

An Atmosphere to Inspire Transformational Change

The negotiations took place in an atmosphere shaped by a desire to bring about transformational change and achieve the goals of building a future of life in harmony with nature. A seminar, organised by the Secretariat in the weekend between the two subsidiary body meetings, brought together social scientists, representatives of the World Economic Forum, governments and a full range of stakeholders active in the Convention process, for a “deep dive” into possible sustainability transitions pathways for systemic change.

During the open dialogue, Dr. Paşca Palmer invited participants to reflect on solutions for moving away from the linear way of thinking and path dependencies, to take a systems view approach in our relationship with nature and biodiversity. She framed the discussion around the question: “How do we empower the agents of change and frontrunners to build new pathways or accelerate transition to sustainability?” The resulting discussion provided a variety of insightful perspectives on the possibilities for change.

Delegates to the SBI meeting were also inspired by the words of Canadian astronaut and member of the order of Canada, Roberta Bondar, who delivered a keynote address featuring breath-taking images of the earth from space.  Dr. Bondar said “I envy all of you because you are in a position to create change… and encourage others to make change.  We know we can do it, we just have to keep our energy alive.”

The government of Canada sponsored a reception at the opening of the SBI meeting, where indigenous traditions, culture and music were shared with the delegates, providing a lived experience of the key role that traditional knowledge plays in building a future of life in harmony with nature.

Looking beyond 2020:  Setting the Stage for Negotiations

Inspired by the overall possibilities and the need for urgent action, delegates assessed progress under the Convention, and advanced a proposal for the negotiating path towards the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Stressing that “2020 is just around the corner,” the CBD Executive Secretary observed that the process for designing the post-2020 biodiversity framework needs to be science-based, transparent, and inclusive. The meeting requested inputs from Parties and stakeholders on ways to move forward with the process by August 15.

Meetings Outcomes

Delegates recognised the need to leverage emerging new scientific research including the work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), such as the recently released regional assessments. Parties also invited greater collaboration between the IPBES and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

A major topic addressed at the meeting was mainstreaming of biodiversity into sectors that depend on biodiversity, and whose actions cause potential adverse impacts to ecosystems and species. Governments recommended a package of actions for governments, businesses and other stakeholders, to facilitate the incorporation of biodiversity considerations into the energy, mining, infrastructure, manufacturing and processing, and health sectors.

Advances in the Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol

Countries noted considerable progress in setting access and benefit-sharing frameworks. However, the delegates underlined, that further efforts are needed to make the Protocol fully operational. The meeting also addressed the way forward for advancing on a global multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism, and on the question of specialised international instruments related to access and benefit-sharing in the context of Article 4.4 of the Protocol.

Digital Sequence Information

Governments generally recognised the positive contribution of digital sequence information on genetic resources for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, but important divergences in views remain with respect to the implications of this issue for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources. The understanding of the different perspectives achieved during the meeting will underpin the important decisions to be taken on this topic in Egypt, decisions that could influence the future work of the Convention and its Nagoya Protocol.

Synthetic Biology

On the question of synthetic biology, due to uncertainty around the impacts of organisms with engineered gene drives, countries were called to apply a precautionary approach for the release of such organisms, including when it comes to experimental releases. Underlining that more research and analysis are needed, governments called for broad international cooperation to assess the possible impacts on biodiversity of this technology.

On risk assessment of living modified organisms, including organisms containing engineered gene drives, countries agreed on a process for identifying topics that may warrant the development of international guidelines. Delegates requested the CBD Executive Secretary to commission a study on organisms containing engineered gene drives and modified fish.

On a few elements, consensus was not possible and further discussions were tabled for the November meeting.

Other Thematic and Cross Cutting Issues

Countries looked at the question of mechanisms for conservation of biodiversity that extend beyond existing notions of protected areas and recommended that the definition ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ be considered by the COP, along with technical advice on guiding principles.

A methodology and a set of principles to guide the assessment of the role and contribution of indigenous peoples and local communities to the overall implementation of the Convention was also addressed in a draft decision to be taken up by the COP in November.

Governments recognised that, as new scientific information continues to emerge, there may be a need to modify existing ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs). Countries also identified the need for agreed-upon means and approaches to describe new EBSAs in areas where EBSA workshops have already been held. A proposal for processes to revise existing, and describe new, EBSAs was advanced to the COP.

Delegates recommended that COP 14, this November, adopt the global action plan 2018-2030 for the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators. Governments urged the engagement of businesses, indigenous peoples and local communities, and other relevant actors, involved in production landscapes, to address the drivers of loss of wild and managed pollinators in all ecosystems.