GEF  Mercury  Factsheet  

 

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Resources    

• 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   GEF  Project  

Funding  (US$  M)    

Approval    Date1  (M/D/Y)    

Key  outcomes  

Regional  (Burkina  Faso,  Mali,  Senegal)  

Reducing  Mercury  Emissions  in  ASGM  

UNIDO   0.99      

 08/16/11   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.  

Vietnam   Hospital  Waste  Management  Support  Project    

World  Bank  

0.30     11/09/11   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.  

Kazakhstan   Reducing  Mercury  Release  from  Healthcare  Waste  

UNDP   0.20     02/29/12   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.  

China   Zinc  Smelting  Operations    

UNIDO   0.99      

 03/23/12  

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   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.  

Regional  (Ghana,  Madagascar,  Zambia  Tanzania)  

Reducing  Mercury  Release  from  Healthcare  Waste  

UNDP   0.52  M   06/07/12   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.  

Uruguay   Mercury  Containing  Products  and  their  Wastes  

UNDP   0.7  M    

06/14/12   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.  

China   Development  of  mercury  inventory    

UNEP   1.0  M    

07/05/12   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.    

Kyrgyz  Republic  

Primary  mercury  mining    

UNEP   0.94  M    

07/18/12   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  

Reducing  Mercury  Release  from  Healthcare  Waste  

UNDP   0.13  M   09/12/12   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.      

Philippines   Reducing  Mercury  Emissions  in  ASGM  

UNIDO   0.55  M      

12/18/12   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.  

Russian  Federation  

Development  of  Mercury  Inventory    

UNEP   1  M    

12/27/12   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.  

 Total  GEF  investment  on  mercury:  

 

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