Cameroon / MINEPDED: Assertions of the National Action Plan on Mercury are improved.
The Ministry of Environment validates communication tools developed within the framework of the "Project for the development of a National Action Plan (NAP) on mercury in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector".
On 05 July 2022 at the United Hotel in Mbankomo, Mr MBOH Hyacinth, Director of Standards and Control and personal representative of the Minister of Environment, Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development, chaired the workshop. This was an opportunity for the consultant in charge of developing the said tools to improve his work, taking into account the critical examination and relevant proposals made by members of the Steering Committee and the other actors involved in the project. These are ideas for raising awareness of the population on the dangers of mercury in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector in Cameroon.
The Focal Point of the said Convention, Mrs MERENG BODO Eliane Marina, reiterated the major expectations of the strategic partners, namely the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), which is to ensure that this NAP development process be in line with one of the obligations of the Minamata Convention on mercury. Thus, from June 2021 to May 2023, the Project Management Unit will have to fulfil the following expectations:
- Assessment of the national public health capacity;
- Collection of data indicating exposed or intoxicated populations;
- Situational analysis of mercury use in the ASGM sector in Cameroon;
- Development of strategies for communication and stakeholder involvement in the continuous development of the NAP;
- Formalization of sustainable methods to deal with the mercury pollutant;
- Validation of the National Action Plan.
Communication tools validated at the end of this workshop (subject to the integration of observations and recommendations made) respect all elements of the Communication Plan. The core outlines how the Project Management Unit and all stakeholders will communicate the dangers associated with mercury use to artisanal miners and communities surrounding ASGM sites. The backdrop is that Cameroon succeeds in eliminating the use of mercury in this sector of activity, as prescribed by the Minamata Convention.
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