Minamata Convention: African NGOs assemble in three regional workshops to implement the Children’s Amendment

Photo Caption: Group photograph of the World Alliance workshop for Central and West Africa, held in Lomé on 25 and 26 April 2023. The focus:  implement the Children’s Amendment to the Minamata Convention.

Environmental and consumer Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) from 25 nations gathered at regional workshops in Lomé, Lusaka, and Cairo recently to develop a powerful plan to enforce the Children’s Amendment to the Minamata Convention on Mercury.  Momentum gathers for this continental initiative to stop all placement of mercury dental fillings in African children and African pregnant and breastfeeding women by the legal deadline in the treaty of 28 September 2023.

The three workshops were financed by benefactor Dr. Myron Wentz, who for seven years had fully funded the Africa campaign for mercury-free dentistry administered by the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry’s secretariat in Washington.

Hosted by les Amis de la Terre in Lomé, NGOs from 12 West African and Central African nations assembled in Lomé on 25 and 26 April.  Hosted by the Children’s Environmental Health Foundation, NGOs from seven Southern African and East African nations gathered in Lusaka on 28 and 29 April.  Then hosted by the Arab Network for Environmental and Development, a pan-Arab workshop of six NGOs from North Africa and Southwest Asia met on 1 and 2 May.

Charlie Brown, president, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, said “The Children’s Amendment to the Minamata Convention calls for the end of amalgam use for children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.  All Parties must either ban amalgam or recommend the end of amalgam for these vulnerable populations.  The Children’s Amendment enters into legal force in just four months—on 28 September 2023.

“Our NGO team across Africa assembled in three regional workshops to create the strategy for victory: the end of amalgam use in African children and in African pregnant and breastfeeding women.”

‘The champions for this continental initiative to enforce the Children’s Amendment, the ones who put together the agendas and brought us together, are Amegadzé Kokou Elorm in Togo, Michael Musenga in Zambia, and Ghada Ahmadein in Egypt,” said Charlie Brown, the only person to participate in all three workshops.  “The World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry salutes Kokou, Michael, and Ghada—three great NGO leaders!”

Amegadzé Kokou Elorm said:  “The Lomé workshop on 25 and 26 April 2023 is of major importance, especially as the elimination of amalgam fillings for the dental treatment of baby teeth, patients under 15 years of age and pregnant and breastfeeding women is a matter of health priority; foetuses, newborns and children being among the most vulnerable to the harmful effects of mercury.

Photo caption: President of World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, Charlie Brown; Director, Island State Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, Hemsing Hurrynag congratulating Permanent Secretary, Dr Douty Chibamba for promising action to BAN the USE of dental amalgam in Zambia.

“The participating organisations reaffirmed their absolute determination to continue their fight for the Children’s Amendment for the well-being of the people of the African continent”, Kokou said.

Each workshop passed a resolution of appreciation to Dr. Wentz for funding this synergistic gathering of African and Arab NGOs.

Entering into legal force on September 28, 2023, the Children’s Amendment will protect children from exposure to toxic dental mercury, prevent amalgam’s mercury from polluting our environment, and improve oral health by preserving tooth structure that must be removed to insert amalgam fillings

The Children’s Amendment to the amalgam reduction requirement of the Minamata Convention enters into force on 24 June 2022.

At the 4th Conference of the Parties in Indonesia in March 2022, the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, succeeded in gaining protection from dental amalgam for the most vulnerable consumers.  The Children’s Amendment, requires that Parties “Exclude or not allow, by taking measures as appropriate, or recommend against the use of dental amalgam for the dental treatment of deciduous teeth, of patients under 15 years and of pregnant and breastfeeding women…”

All the 141 nations who are Parties to the treaty must take affirmative steps – ranging from recommendations to complete abolition – to end amalgam use for children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.