Presentation on Environmental Safety and Security (ESS) Programme - GCI General Assembly Meeting, 3.10.2017 by

Presentation on Environmental Safety and Security
                (ESS) Programme

       GCI General Assembly Meeting, 3.10.2017
                        by
                Paul Walker ESS Director
        Stephan Robinson Unit Manager (Water, Legacy)

ESS mission

• The ESS Programme prevents and responds to environmental damages
  from man-made environmental disasters by
   – facilitating disarmament processes;
   – disposing in an environmental sound manner hazardous materials, and
   – building the needed capacity in a spirit of cooperation and not of
     confrontation.
• To reach these aims, the ESS Programme is divided into two components:
   – Security: Advocates and facilitates the security, non-proliferation, and
     safe elimination of weapons of mass destruction, and related materials
     and systems
   – Sustainability: Addresses in both preventive and responsive manner
     pollution of water, land, and air by man-made industrial disasters
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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (1)

Completed Russian demilitarisation of chemical weapons
 • Chemical weapons destruction (CWD) conflictual
     • Government/army vs. local communities
     • US support to Russia
 • Experience of Chapayevsk demonstrated the need for public involvement.
 • GC facilitated in both Russian and American CWD processes.
 • Prevented derailing of process at several key moments.
 • Last week, Russia finished destruction of its 40’000 MT stock after 15
   years of operations.

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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (2)

DDT project in FSU area (1)
 • Regional project in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
 • The effectiveness of non-chemical alternatives to the use of DDT for
   disease vector control (malaria, etc.) was demonstrated.
 • National Integrated Vector Management Programmes relying on non-
   chemical alternatives to DDT have been adopted.

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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (3)

DDT project in FSU area (2)
 • Released last stocks of DDT from health ministries and from various
   stores are being disposed of:
     • Total of 361.82 t of DDT and associated wastes have been repacked
       (78.41 t in Kyrgyzstan, 77.81 t in Tajikistan, 205.60 t in Georgia).
     • Georgian stocks incinerated in France.
     • Kyrgyz and Tajik stocks will be disposed of in a follow-on project.

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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (4)

DDT project in FSU area (3)

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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (5)

DDT project in FSU area (4)

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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (6)

Minamata Mercury Convention (1)
 • About 10-15 million people (including 4-5 million women and children) in over 70
   countries globally involved in Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) and
   at high mercury-exposure risk.

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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (7)

Minamata Mercury Convention (2)
 • Support to UN Environment during negotiation process and now during
   implementation phase.
 • ASGM project of GC Ghana. Objectives include
     • establishing for one region an analysis of mercury use in ASGM, related
       environmental impacts and the health situation;
     • improving the health of affected people within the project community.
 • Similar project planned for Burkina Faso.
 • Working with Belarus to establish a national mercury inventory and to prepare the
   legal basis for early ratification of the Minamata Convention.

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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (8)

Assessment of impacts by sea-dumped chemical weapons (1)
 • Hundreds of thousands of tons of chemical ammunition were sea-dumped after
   WWII.
 • Assessment of environmental and health impacts in Vieques (Puerto Rico) and the
   Baltic Sea.
 • First time evidence that about 23-24 tons of chemical agents were sea-dumped
   about 10 miles off of Vieques. Study also showed that observed higher cancer
   risks are linked to former weapons testing at Vieques.
 • Consequences of the conventional and chemical munition dumps along the shores
   of the Baltic and North Seas will be significantly worse than in Puerto Rico.
 • Next steps:
     • access national archives to have a better understanding of location of sea-
       dumping areas and of types of materials dumped; and
     • develop intervention/remediation strategies.
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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (9)

Assessment of impacts by sea-dumped chemical weapons (2)

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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (10)

Improved management of bio-medical wastes (1)
 • 15 % of bio-medical wastes are hazardous (infectious waste: 10 %, chemical and
   radioactive waste: 5 %).
 • Improved bio-medical wastes management protects
     • healthcare workers;
     • scavengers and communities near the landfills;
     • global community through reduced epidemics proliferation (e.g. tourism,
       travel); and
     • contains proliferation of dangerous substances which could be used for e.g.
       dirty bombs or biological attacks.

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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (11)

Improved management of bio-medical wastes (2)
 • Green Cross project to improve HCW management at Women’s Hospital in
   Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
     • 99 health care practitioners are working in the hospital.
     • HCW generated monthly: 90 kg of anatomical wastes, 45 kg of sharps, 3'000 l
       of liquid chemicals, 20 broken thermometers (containing mercury)
     • Generate costs savings by replacing sterilisation by chlorinated lime with
       thermal treatment in an autoclave.
     • Costs savings fully refunded within a 5 years period the initial investment costs
       for an autoclave.
     • Savings can be reinvested into another autoclave at another healthcare
       facility.
 • Project to be replicated in Central Asia and West Africa.
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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (12)

Improved management of bio-medical wastes (3)

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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (13)

Nuclear Disarmament
 • Disarmament of all three Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD, nuclear, biological,
   chemical) is interlinked. This is particularly relevant in the Middle East.
 • Information events in the Middle East with government representatives and media
   regarding establishment of a WMD Free Zone in the region. This resulted in
   continuous coverage in the Israeli media and support to this campaign by Israeli
   members of parliament.
 • Text for a WMD Free Zone in the Middle East developed.
 • Supporting nuclear ban (supported by 139 nations, advocacy work in US), CTBTO
   ratification, Iran deal.

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ESS Achievements 2015-2017 (14)

Biological / Chemical Disarmament
 • Promotion of universality of the CWC and ban of WMDs through CWC Coalition.
 • Tenth meeting end of 2017, Coalition growing strongly (200 representatives from
   80 NGOs in 40 countries).
 • Seeking to universalize Biological Weapons Convention beyond 179 State Parties
   (link to WMD Free Zone, bio-medical wastes projects).

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