Facing Leadership that Kills receives the Best Paper Award at APHA 2023

Join us in congratulating Dr. Alex Jadad, a member of our Public Health Leadership Coalition, for ‘Facing Leadership that Kills’, which received the Best Paper Award sponsored by the Journal of Public Health Policy, during the 2023 American Public Health Association Meeting, and was published in The World Federation of Public Health Associations’ Pages.

5th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury

Edited from the Earth Negotiations Bulletin

The Minamata Convention on Mercury, which is an international treaty, was adopted on October 10, 2013 and entered into force on August 16, 2017, and governments committed themselves to protecting human health and the environment from mercury and mercury compounds.

Mercury, as a naturally occurring element, can be released into the air and water through the weathering of rock containing mercury ore or through human activities such as industrial processes, mining, deforestation, waste incineration, and burning fossil fuels. Mercury-containing products such as dental amalgam, electrical applications, laboratory and medical instruments, batteries, antiseptic and antibacterial creams, and skin-lightening creams can also release mercury.

Effects on fetal neurological development, lowered fertility, brain and nerve damage, and heart disease have been linked to exposure to mercury. The Minamata Convention bans new mercury mines and calls for the phase-out of existing ones. It also contains control measures on emissions and products containing mercury and the regulation of mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. The Convention also addresses interim storage of mercury and its disposal once it becomes waste, sites contaminated by mercury, and health issues.

This year, when parties to the Minamata Convention convened for the 5th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-5), while commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Convention, they discussed further actions that will help make the promise of this treaty a reality. COP-5 took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from October 30 to November 3, 2023. Over 846 delegates participated in person, and for the first time, the meeting was broadcast via livestream to 900 viewers, with the recordings available following each plenary session. The Convention currently has 147 parties.

Parties agreed to update Annexes A and B of the Convention to list phaseout dates for certain types of batteries, switches and relays, fluorescent lamps, and cosmetics, and mandate the phaseout of mercury as a catalyst in polyurethane production by 2025. They also agreed on language declaring mercury-free processes for production of sodium or potassium methylate or ethylate to be technically and economically feasible. However, efforts by the African Group and other parties to agree on a phaseout of dental amalgam, which is still widely used for dental fillings, did not achieve consensus. The final decision only requires parties that have not yet phased out dental amalgam to report on how they plan to do so.

A decision on mercury waste thresholds means that countries have a fixed standard now for measuring whether imports and exports contaminated with mercury contain more than the allowed total concentration value of 15 mg/kg. This is important for countries who fear becoming global dumping grounds for mercury-contaminated wastes, as it gives an international standard for deciding whether a shipment should be blocked. It also means that producer nations now have a benchmark for blocking exports of mercury-contaminated waste.

COP-5 applauded the 95% rate of national reporting on what parties have done to meet their obligations under the Convention. Parties welcomed the second review of the Convention’s financial mechanism, which provides new guidance to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and notes that the GEF increased its funding for the Minamata Convention by more than 30% in its latest replenishment. COP-5 adopted the budget and program of work for the 2024–25 biennium, approving a core budget of USD 8.4 million and estimating needs of USD 4.83 million for its Special Trust Fund. COP-5 also saw some emerging themes that are likely to shape the work of the Convention in years to come.

COP-5 accomplished a lot. However, several issues for COP-6 in November 2025 are to be resolved, including phasing out dental amalgam and all mercury-added cosmetics and establishing the feasibility of mercury-free vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) production. COP-6 will also examine the draft guidance on trade, a report on national emission inventories and plans.

Leaving No One Behind: Integrating Oral Health into Primary Healthcare for Refugee Populations

In a world that has been marred by conflict and turmoil, the devastating impact of wars and conflicts on daily life and health cannot be ignored. This year, the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) has taken a significant step towards addressing a critical yet often overlooked aspect of primary healthcare for refugee populations: oral health.

The WFPHA, in collaboration with several international organizations, including the World Dental Federation, Framework Convention on Global Health Alliance (FCGH Alliance), and Sustainable Health Equity Movement (SHEM), has spearheaded an initiative to emphasize the importance of oral health in the lives of refugees. Led by the dedicated efforts of the Oral Health Workgroup within the WFPHA, a policy brief has been developed. This policy brief calls for the integration of oral health into the primary health packages provided to refugee populations around the world.

The WFPHA, in collaboration with its Oral Health Workgroup and Public Health in Emergencies and Disasters Workgroup, is dedicated to identifying strategic partners and opportunities to integrate oral health into primary healthcare packages for refugees. The goal is to ensure that refugees receive comprehensive healthcare that addresses their oral health needs, contributing to their overall well-being and dignity.

Translating the Essential Public Health Functions into Public Health Curricula

On October 26, 2023, at 13:00 (CEST), the WFPHA held a webinar that provided an overview of the work the WFPHA’s Public Health Professionals’ Education and Training Working Group has been undertaking in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other key partners on the Public Health and Emergency Workforce Roadmap.

During this webinar, esteemed global speakers outlined how the WHO Essential Public Health Functions (EPHF) have been unified and unpacked as part of the Roadmap project, how the revised EPHF have been used to inform a competency and outcomes framework towards the delivery of the EPHFs, and mechanisms intended to support incorporating the EPHF into curricula to train the future public health and emergency workforce.

This webinar is available to view by clicking on the link below.

Urgent Global Health Appeal to COP28: Accelerate Fossil Fuel Phase-Out for Public Well-being

On the occasion of the first ever health day at COP, an open letter from health professionals around the world urges the COP28 presidency and world leadership for a commitment to an expedited phase-out of fossil fuels and an investment in a renewable energy transition to ensure the health of all.

#FossilFree4Health #COP28HealthLetter

The letter, supported by organizations representing 46.3 million health professionals, emphasizes the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels, invest in clean energy technology, and reduce air pollution to protect public health.

The climate crisis is not just an environmental issue; it’s a public health crisis that threatens the fundamentals of human life. The World Health Organization recognizes climate change as the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century, emphasizing the inseparable connection between a safe and stable climate and achieving health and well-being for all. Communities, health workers, and health systems worldwide are already experiencing the severe impacts of climate change, with extreme weather events, food and water insecurity, and displacement becoming more frequent and devastating.

One of the major drivers of climate change and air pollution is the burning of fossil fuels. Fossil fuel combustion, particularly diesel and coal, is responsible for millions of deaths annually due to air pollution. Despite its well-documented consequences, 99% of the world’s population lives in areas where air quality breaches the World Health Organization’s guidelines, and air pollution’s economic costs are staggering, totaling over $8.1 trillion in 2019.

Beyond air pollution, toxic discharges from downstream fossil fuel industries like petrochemicals, plastics, and pesticides also pose severe health and environmental risks. Communities near these facilities suffer from adverse health impacts, including cancer, endocrine disorders, and birth defects. 

The key highlights of the letter include the call to end our dependence on fossil fuels to safeguard future generations and save lives, the importance of a rapid transition to clean energy for clean air, water, and a healthy environment, and the rejection of unreliable solutions like Carbon Capture and Storage in favor of renewable energy. It also underscores the need for a just energy transition that prioritizes health and community well-being, ending fossil fuel subsidies, and preventing the fossil fuel industry from influencing climate negotiations. It categorically states that without ambitious climate action, healthcare systems and workers will bear insurmountable burdens, undermining prospects for a safe, fair, and just future in the face of climate change.

Physicians under bombardment: In solidarity with frontline health heroes and heroines  

By: Dr. Duha Shellah, Medical & Health Sciences Division, Palestine Academy for Science & Technology

As a physician, Palestinian and voice of physicians in Palestine and the eastern Mediterranean region (EMR). I am sending out this call for solidarity, to raise the voices of the health workforce in Gaza. The Health Workforce is under an unimaginable workload because of the dire situation wrought by the war in the Gaza Strip. The war has entered its fourth week of continuous horrific attacks which led to extensive destruction of all forms of life in Gaza, civil and health infrastructure were widely destroyed which is alarming for a collapse of the health system in Gaza. The number of casualties received in hospitals is huge. Some of my colleagues have not gotten any rest been home or even seen their families since the beginning of the war. Moreover, some were surprised to see their family members among the casualties and martyrs.  With the tragic loss of 73 health personnel who have been killed, 11 were killed on duty, and more than 100 have been injured, and 26 ambulances are out of service, the health system is taking its last breath, and the result will be havoc. 

Contacting friend physicians,  nurses, midwives, and social workers is different now. It takes days for them to respond. where in two or three minutes of rest, they text us “We are fine”. Most International humanitarian agencies announced the difficulty in contacting their staff on the ground in Gaza. With no electricity or fuel stocks, the situation is devastating. The lack of beds in wards and emergency rooms with a shortage of medical supplies is indeed overwhelming, to the system and staff.  No form of health services is available except life-saving services.

With the collapse of 25 hospitals and most of the primary healthcare facilities in Gaza, the health situation is catastrophic. The vulnerable groups are with no access to essential health services. The shutdown of backup generators in hospitals would place the lives of thousands of patients at risk.  civilians in Gaza are at risk of infectious diseases due to lack of personal hygiene and clean water, besides, overcrowding in shelters. Many children have stopped regular immunization, and their right to grow in a safe and clean environment and to develop physically and mentally has been retracted from them. 

The 16-year blockade on Gaza has fragilized the health system, with physician and specialty shortages and a lack of medical equipment and medications. Those years of socioeconomic decline political instability and conflict have weakened the public health infrastructure, leaving the strip with limited access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. The ongoing war on Gaza has amplified what the Palestinians and the health system have been facing. The deprivation of clean water, food, fuel, and electricity is causing a humanitarian catastrophe. Keep in mind the environmental hazards of the continuous heavy bombardment and extensive destruction of the sewage system. 

I call for solidarity with physicians, public health specialists, health workers, and humanitarian workers, all those working on the frontlines trying to save lives, and most importantly save the Palestinian identity in the Gaza Strip. International Humanitarian law must be abided, indiscriminate violence and collective punishment should end and an immediate ceasefire is a must. All lives matter, all lives.  Physicians and health workers have to stand for each other in times of war and conflict, it is a moral duty to stand out for those on the frontlines of danger, who are working under bombardment, and who have been oppressed for years.