Mercury Factsheet

GEF Mercury Factsheet

Resources

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• In GEF 5 (2008-­‐2012), US$ 15 M are allocated to Mercury Projects

• So far US$ 8.3 M have been approved in 12 projects.

Activities Supported Examples of activities already funded in by the GEF on Mercury Management: • Detailed mercury inventories (China, Russia – through the pilot and Vietnam and Kazakhstan combined with POPs projects) • Development of programs to promote action in ASGM including action plans, innovative financial mechanisms to encourage alternative approaches to extracting gold without the use of mercury, and mercury minimization strategies • Action to reduce or eliminate the use of mercury in the health care sector including evaluation of the acceptability and efficacy of mercury free devices, development of national policy and regulatory frameworks for mercury and dissemination of awareness-­‐raising and educational material.

• Assistance to the enable closure of the Khaidarkan mine in the Kyrgyz Republic

The GEF has funded the following mercury projects

Country

Project Area Agency

Regional (Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal)

Reducing Mercury Emissions in ASGM

UNIDO

Vietnam

Hospital Waste Manageme nt Support Project Reducing Mercury Release from Healthcare Waste

Zinc Smelting Operations

Kazakhstan

China

GEF Project Funding (US$ M) 0.99

Approval 1 Date (M/D/Y) 08/16/11

World Bank

0.30

11/09/11

UNDP

0.20

02/29/12

UNIDO

0.99

03/23/12

Key outcomes

Development of national strategic action plans to promote sound management of mercury in ASGM in three countries; Adoption of low-­‐mercury or mercury free technology in local pilot communities; Assessment on the applicability of certification schemes and development of certification applications for pilot sites.

Establishment of mercury inventory, risk management mechanism and reduction of mercury releases achieved in healthcare sector; BAT/BEP application for POPs and mercury reduction in Healthcare sector; Integrated policy and legal framework developed for mainstreaming toxic substances management including POPs and mercury in healthcare sector.

Assessment of national mercury profile, including mercury sources, use and contamination; Development of national mercury reduction plan and identification of priority reduction areas; Implementation of BEP in safe management, storage, phase-­‐out and disposal of Hg-­‐ containing devices and procurement of non Hg-­‐containing devices in all model facilities; Development of policies/guidelines on sequestration, and handling of mercury waste from healthcare facilities.

Establishment of coordination & monitoring system and policy for mercury management in zinc smelting sector; Adoption of BATs/BEPs for cleaner zinc production in two pilot sites and evaluation of scope of zinc smelting operations in China; Assessment of needs and investment opportunities in support of the uptake of BATs/BEPs; Gap analysis on national institutional and technological capacity for mercury management; Submission of policy recommendations to national authorities.

1

For MSPs, CEO approval date is indicated; for FSPs, work program inclusion date is indicated under this column.

Ecuador, Peru

Reducing Mercury Emissions in ASGM

UNIDO

0.91 M

03/27/12

Regional (Ghana, Madagascar, Zambia Tanzania)

Reducing Mercury Release from Healthcare Waste Mercury Containing Products and their Wastes

UNDP

0.52 M

06/07/12

UNDP

0.7 M

06/14/12

China

Developme nt of mercury inventory

UNEP

1.0 M

07/05/12

Kyrgyz Republic

Primary mercury mining

UNEP

0.94 M

07/18/12

Uruguay

Mercury minimization strategies and reduction targets endorsed by stakeholders in both countries; Adoption of policies or programs that support the formalization of miners and promote innovative financial mechanism; Development of programs to promote the use of financial tools for miners, and the formalization of the ASGM sector.

Introduce mercury-­‐free devices in model facilities, evaluate their acceptability and efficacy, and develop and disseminate awareness-­‐raising and educational materials related to mercury; Establish or enhance training programs to build capacity for implementation of best practices and appropriate technologies beyond the model facilities and programs.

Development of national EPR policy and regulation, guidelines and legal provisions for the sound collection, storage, decontamination and disposal of Hg-­‐containing products; Introduction of best practices and Hg-­‐free/low Hg alternatives; Establishment of one medium term Hg storage facility to serve the decontamination facility and assessment of long-­‐term storage options.

Development of a detailed mercury releases inventory in two provinces of Guizhou and Hunan and participation of Shaanxi province in training inventory and action plan development; Development of a national mercury action plan for China; Enhanced national capacity for the identification of mercury sources and priority actions to address mercury issues under a future global convention.

Development of national plans and strategies supporting mercury management for alternative employment opportunities; Assessment of environmental and health risks and impacts in the primary mercury mining area; Installation of an emergency response system and capacity to disseminate information; Development of strategy and guidelines for remediation of highly contaminated areas.

Kyrgyz Republic

Philippines

Russian Federation

Reducing Mercury Release from Healthcare Waste Reducing Mercury Emissions in ASGM Developme nt of Mercury Inventory

UNDP

0.13 M

09/12/12

UNIDO

0.55 M

12/18/12

UNEP

1 M

12/27/12

Total GEF investment on mercury:

Development of national policy and regulatory framework for Hg phase-­‐out in health-­‐care sector; Procurement of Hg-­‐free devices for 50% of centralized and decentralized healthcare facilities and facilities trained in the use and safe storage of Hg-­‐free devices.

Fostered national capacity to effectively manage mercury; Establishment of a formal national institution for the mining community; Reduction of mercury use, emissions and exposure at pilot sites.

Comprehensive overview of mercury management in the key industrial sectors ; Improved national capacity for mercury analysis and database of laboratories; Available good quality data on mercury and development of national strategy and action plan for decreasing mercury emissions in prioritized sectors and monitoring of mercury levels in the environment.

US$ 8.23M

About the GEF:

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established in 1991 as the financial mechanism of the main multilateral environmental agreements.

Currently, the GEF is the largest public funder worldwide of projects aiming to generate global environmental benefits, while supporting national sustainable development initiatives.

The GEF has allocated US$10.5 billion, supplemented by more than US$51 billion in co-­‐financing for over 2,700 projects. Additionally, through its Small Grants Programme (SGP), the GEF has also made available more than 14,000 small grants directly to civil society organizations totaling US$634 million. The GEF unites 182 member governments -­‐ in partnership with international institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector-­‐ and its resources go directly to developing countries for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants, and the ozone layer (the last concerning only countries with economies in transition).

GEF Website: www.thegef.org

Production date: January 2013