lHEENVlROMENT
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Durban climate change talks can deliver, says UN lit the same ti me, the [flfl!i!il(if])Iiltr:'l1I!;,! ,] Cnlna. d ,reat I)f another global eroA RECORD ti 5~ In global Ilgreenhouse em issions and t'v~r tig hter eco nomic con· SlTal nlS make it crudal for UniledNdtionsdlma le talksi n South Africa In November to overcome years of deadlock and deliver a sol uoon, the UN's climate chief told Reuters. Nearly [Wode(adesofUN citmate chan~~ negotiatio ns have so far falled to find a new binding approach to curbing the rrleasr o f dimate-warmIng ...... The world's biggest ~ml nt'JS, th~ United Sr.!res ilnd China, have never formally signed up 10 mandatory emissions caps and lhe previous he,ld o f the UN Framt'\.\'O rk Convent ion on Clima te Change (UN FCCC) ~epped down after 2009 ta lks collapsed.
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Council memllet. [HORECON, Chiel AnlhDflY Uel!WHi6 (le i') CII~".a1l of tourlCii and Emir o( Nlngi, Dr. YunuSil D&n1i11i1 anti Atlin& Petn~ Sec. Human RHOUrCe5. Dr. James (]Iliegbu r.ptuen"ng Hud of Civil SIIfVic, of the FederaTion, Prof. Oladapo Afolabl dur ing th e inducllon cer~on~ for En vironmenTill Hea lth Ofliee rs and Carpor. " Envirorvnenlal HCaiTh Service providets in lila', rlKIIIIly
EHORECON urges deployment of environmental officers in waste facility rnrr~! i'!lj! I ';jt! '\;; By Chlnadum
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Tli globa l atte n tio n on
W,na l ions
10 tack le che m a nagemem of haza rdous wane in an environmental friend ly mallne r, the Fweral Governmelll has begun moves to e t\sure all h eal t hcare faciliti es adopt measures t o co mply w ith b es t practices for I.,.ane srorage and disposal. The m ell ical waste pro blem is increasing in develo ping m unnies, wllere h ealth care services a re ~p.1ndin g to m ee t d e mands. The was li~ in clud es a varll!lY o f ha zardous materials like infec· tious, anato mic.-. I and patho logical wane, radioa cth'e mate rials a nd d iscard ed u sed m edica l instru m e n ts. Som r 20 to lS prr crnt of Ihe t Olal waS le gr nrraced by heallhcare esta b lis hme n ts Is rega rded as ha zardous and m ay c rea te a variety o f h ea lth and e n viro nmrntal risks if n Ot managed and d isposed o f In an a ppro pria te ma nner. Th e th rea ts ro humil n belllgs can co m ~ a lso fro m Incomp lete was le des t ruclIon in incinerat'ol s, as h disposal a nd dioxins e mission s. Til e SlOckho lm Co nvention liSi s m~diul wasle Incineralors as havi ng [h~ potential for comparatively hig h fo rmal Ion and re lease o f un lm e ntional persistent organic p o llura n ts \POps). It additiOnally IiSls 1 1~ Open burning o f waSle a nd th e burning o f landnll sites ilS sources that can unintent ionally fo rm a nd release roPs to th e e nvironmenr, Und ~ r th e Stoc kholm Convention, countries are o bliged to require rh e u s~ of bes t ilvallable techniques for n ew was te treatment faciJjti~ s a nd art: obliged to pro m ote beSt available tec hnlqu~s and e nviro nmen ta l
Inducts 585 EHOS. eotpOrate service providers Undoubtedly, healthcare facilities are faCing challenges with waste management and the council is canvassing for proper management of the nation's institutions through the installation of incinerators into reduce diseases and infection, enhance economic and well being of the country. pracl lces fo r all n ew an d exlsllng so urces of POPS. Guidelines issued by the gove rnme nt had mandated that by ch e end o f 20 tO, ~very reaching and specia l· ist hos pital a nd federal mwica l centres and OIher sim i· lar h u th care fac ilities public or private with m ore than lOO beds sho u ld provide within the ir pre m ises a modern Incinerator, which co mplies w ith the Wo r ld Hea lt h Organis. tio n s ta ndards o n a ir pollutio n ~ mi s slon, ca pable of o n site Sii fe destru ctio n of all hil UrdOUS was te g~ n~rat e d In sllch fa clilty an d e n sure th e e mploy m e nt o f s uffi cien t nllmber of e nviro nme nt a l health o fficers for effKdve managem e n t of waste with· In Ihelr fdclllly.. Similarl y. Ih ~ i ssu ~ Cil me 10 for~ laSl week, whe n Em 'i ro nme nta l Bea lth Officers Registrallon Council of Nigeria ( EUORECON) staged a two-day workshop o n h ea l [hcar~ waste manage m e nt in collabor.a· tion with AldS [ilr-O n ~ in L.1gos, wiT h EHORECON Ch a irman, Dr. Yunusa Da nyaya warning that public " tealth risks [hal result from Imp roper manage· m e nt of healthca re wastes are o f gross hea lth concern. "The pursuit o rh ~a lth ca re servi ces, which a ims a t reducing health problems and elimlna[i ng potentia l risk to people's h ealth has In evitably created wast~ rh at mayltsclfbe ha zard ou s ro h ea ll h. The waste pro · d ucl!d In [he course of h ealthcare activities Cilrry a
hi g her potentia l risk o f infection and Injury than a ny olher type ofwas[e: he said. Da nyaya, the Emir of Ningi, who was represented by a council m~ mbe r, Ch ief Anthony EzekwtSllI lamen[ed that III some heahh Instit uti o n s, no serious e ffort has be~ n mad e In managem ent of healthcart: waste. -rhe pathogeniC waste ansl ng from health institu[Io ns is collectw and disposed loget h~r with mun icIpal solid waHe. This unwhol ~o m e a nd Insa nitary way o f dis pos ing h ea lchca re waste alongSide with municipal waste is dangero us and detrimental [0 pu b liC h~.ahh. l-I ea l lhcare workers, patie n ts, waste h a nd l ~ rs, scave ngers and o ther categories o f peo pl!! d irectly exposed 10 hea rth~ u re waste, are th er~by prone to conlfilct ln g diseases t h rough injuries from sharp contaminated o bjens: He advls~d c hlrf med ical o rn cers and o ther sta keho lders 10 e mp loy the sel'\'Ices of ~ nvlro nm~ nta l h ealth of(Jcrrs a nd corporate service providers wh o are du ly r~g ist ere d and li c~ ns ed by EHORECON for their services. ~We di scov~ red that some h eal[h fa cilities in o rd er to Cut costs have e mp loyed unregistered EHOs, quacks a nd unregistered corporate s~ rvlce providers contra ry to t he provision s of EHORECON Act II Of2001: nle reglSl'rar, EHORECON, explained Ihat by t' nd o f
20tO, every healthcare a nd research facili ty are expect· ~d l'O c reate Envi ronm ental Hea lth Depanme nt/ Un it m annl!d byqual Wed p ro fes s lonals cnarged w llh t h ~ respon si bility of ~ nviron m en ial h tillth st'rvices inciud in g waste m anagem ~n t as the lia b lllly of the gene ra tio n o f waste can no l be pus hed 10 second party as (he lia bility rests on the owner. Mea nwhil~, EHORECON h as Ind u cted 585 En vironme ntal Hea lth Officers (EHOs) and corporate Envitonmental Heahh Srrvlce Providers last week in Lagos. The programme was presided by Danyaya. HeSdld t ha[due [o th e g~n· ~ra l n ~gl ect of the s ub seclo r by both s ucceedi ng govtrnmenls dnd th~ socie ty ov~ r [he years, en vironmen · ta l health services an d prac!.Ice h alite draSti cally d eteri()T'illed in lhe co umI'y_ ~To worsen th e s lmation , sUles and local govrrn · m r n ts have for many years p laced tembargo on employm~ nt 01 EHOs who ilre empowered by la w 10 ~ nfo rce Ihese s tand a rds. This has res u lted In an ag ing workfo rce. This s luatlon sh ould ch a ng~ If the shua· tion is to be revers ed,~ he said. oallyaya called on all li~rs of govern me ntS to mak~ a concerte d effo rt on th~ employm e nt and empowerm e nt o f more HiOs to enable them contrbu te to the ac hl l!ve m e nt of Mill ennium Deve lopm ent Goals (MOGs).
change) is a comptu chaltenge but it Is to governments' credit thai th~ are not shying away from (It): Ch ristiana Ag ueres, UNFCCC uecu[ive secretary, said In an IntelView. "If c1lmalechange we~a situpie problem, we would have: solved It in 1991." Ilopes l'aded for a nC'lv global climate pact to ~p1ac~ the Kyoto Protocol, which ex pires at the fnd o f 20t2, after President Baldck Oooma and ocher leaders could nOl agRt' in Copenhagen In 2009 on a new deal for lim iting ~ohal wanning. leaders of t9] countries are set to fT'II!'e[ for the next annual UN climate summit in November in Durbal\ where t'alks co uld scali agai n il rich and poor na rl ons renew squabbling over how to shar~ OUI e missio ns CUIS and wll~ther to extend th~ existing
prcx~~ could iliso be overshadowed by datil showing that the world's carbon dioxIde emissions hi( d leirhighesr level ever in 2010, dnven mainly by booming coal·~ lian(' em ergi ng eco no mies II k~
n o) mi, slowdown has tight, e,led gove rnments' purseSlrings and d ivened public alt entio n. Agueres saki Ihed if· n.:ult ies could be a poslll\'~ spur. "Governments have a huge opportunity her~ to add ress Slmll! of tha l economic recove. y while add ress!n&" climate change. It Is wln·win, she said -Wtiat is very clearis tha t we n ~ a drama["K shift In our r-::cnomic structure and Utat n ~ to ha ppc:n at the earliest passl ble pol m , because th;: nlore we continue along Ih~ C'..Irren t path rhe more we g.:1 IIlto technology lock·ill." FJgueres said govemment.S \\1:'re vel)' much ·on lTac!.:" to dcliv<!r on tht' main com mitn k!'nt.Sagreedal a A-kxicosumm il last year, relaled to finance, tL1:hnology a nd ,ulaplar lon meolSUI'eS. AI the 2010 IaII:s in Cancun, g{)\'ernmems agrtt'd to set up a Green Climate f-und to man· a,;~ 5100 billion a yea rby 2020 i1 Taid 10 the poor nations mOSt a, riskof climate change. \ski:!d wh~lI \er Ule UN would s.Jcc~ In securing the full 1,00 bil!JOII, which already reU fi..r shOll of the hlope5 of devel, oping nations, tlguer~ said il would "ddillhely not he ~asy" bUI it could be achlevt'(\. DuI'I)l1l should decide on financing for [he shon tenn, f,led.ium renn covering lOll20l0 , . nd then d Ie ronge r knl\ shesald While gove rnments ha~'t siJllggled for a breakthrough, FIgueres said d "visionary and enl ightt ned" pan of the pri\'u e sector had already made sJides toward a 10w< aJ'bo n c:onomy.nd the whole world Cluld follow [hat example. "It is the responsibJliry of clery smglt actor and huma n t.d ng. fveryone neWs to acce pt their responsibility I!l~ pm;! te secror, o\iI SOCi..!IY. NGOs, national govern ments anti indi viduals - ami to con· o hure to the solution; she H id
UN Water elects new officers, tacldes sustainable development challenge TN a«empl [0 tacL:J e: global ! wa ter-rel ated c ha ll ~ng~s and maximise opporrunldes within its United Nations syste m , World Meteo rological Organisati o n (WMO) Secrerary-General, Mr. Michel jarraud and Mr. Be rt Dlphoorn,directorof Human S~tt1ements Financing Divisio n ill UN-Habitat, have been elected by consensus as chalr and vic~ chilir respectivelynfUN-Warer. With [he custo mary [W()yea r [ernl ap proaching, thl! electio n t oo k place In Stockholm during UN-Water's 15th meeting. Challenges Includ ing pop ula lfon g rowth, food securiry and environmental degrada tio n mean lhat t he UN" system ~ now morr than ever beforenetds to d eVille Ihe role of wate r on the inte miltional agenda and to Step up drofts 10 preserve .1nd manage this predous narura l resource which is so fundamemal 10 life o n ourplanet. "The impacts of climate chan ge on m e dlSrrlbution and aViliiabiliry of wa ter adds a n~\V dimension to the challen~s. ~ said Mr. larraud. "The on-golng humanitarian disasler In ch~ HOn! 01 AfriCii.
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u tremes s uch as d rough t a nd flooJs: he said. JartJ ud will ilS.'i ume th l! r':)lari ng chair in 2011, a year \.1 whlcl\ the Ri0+20 sununll ",Jill focus the spotlig ht on susraindble d el.'elopmenl anll fOverty ~uction -Incl uding t ile- urgent need to accelerale ytogTeSS towards Ihe Willer ana sa nitation targets of the il lille nn lum Ikve l opm~n t
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UN·Water, which co-ordlr,ares a nd s t r~ llgthl!ns the wo rk o f l8 United Nation'S agencies on all issues relallng I.:) fresh WOl le r, was ~St.l b hslled In 200] in order 10 u dJe g lobal wa ler- re1arw ( ha llengcs and maxi mise c.p po nullltles in a coordlnaled and Integrated manner across lhe UN family and has J one much to promote th e UN Oeliv~rlng as o ne vision. The declslo n to upgrade ule rO lil tlllg chair to execu ti v~ t.ead Io:vel is d esigned to fu rthE:1~leva te the water agenda ... /ith in the UN ilnd to srungthen the position of the liN falllily to mpport m eml.ers in m ee ting the chall.!ngo!S of wa ler managemen t.