Addressing health when developing national action plans on artisanal and small-scale gold mining under the Minamata Convention on Mercury

Overview

This document provides an approach to addressing health as part of the development of a National Action Plan (NAP) to reduce, and where feasible, eliminate mercury use as required under the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Under the Convention, NAPs are a requirement for those Parties that determine that “artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) and processing in its territory is more than insignificant.” A NAP must include public health strategies on the exposure of artisanal and small-scale gold miners and their communities to mercury. Such strategies are expected to include gathering health data, training of health care workers, and awareness-raising through health facilities, among other things.

The public health strategy component of the NAP will be developed and implemented under the authority and direction of the relevant national health authority. Other components of the NAP will likely be developed under the leadership of national authorities responsible for environment and/or mining. Good intersectoral engagement and coordination will be necessary for ensuring alignment and coherence between the different NAP elements. This document is part of a WHO technical series on ASGM and health.

Primary audiences include government officials in health ministries as well as in ministries from other sectors (e.g. environment, mining, labour) that would be involved in the process to develop and implement the NAP. Other audiences include development partners (e.g. UN agencies and international organizations), researchers, non-government organizations, and other actors that would also be engaged in this process.