Kathmandu, Sept. 24
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli of Nepal underscored the need that the
governments around world taking the leadership and put in place effective
domestic policy measures such as limiting and, where necessary, banning the use
of lead in various sectors.
In his keynote address at a pledging event on 'A lead-free future'
organised by the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in New York of the
USA on Monday at the UNGA, he also said that the United Nations and its agencies should put this issue on high priority.
PM Oli is leading Nepali delegation to the 79th
session of the UNGA.
"UN agencies should help national institutions, particularly in the Last
Developed Countries and the Least Developed Island Countries, through capacity
building, education, awareness raising, training, and research and development.
The World Health Organisation can provide support to install necessary testing
facilities in hospitals and labs," he said.
According to him, resource mobilisation is a key to the success of this
effort. For this, World Bank and other IFIs, international and bilateral donors
like USAID scale up their support in needy countries.
He also pointed to the need of a mass awareness
programme with specific target groups like children and pregnant women,
reaching out the furthest behind.
"It is a
distressing fact lead poisoning harms every other child in low- and
middle-income countries, damaging their cognitive development, physical health,
and future potential. If calculated in economic terms, some reports stated that
lead exposure causes global productivity losses at an estimated 1.4 trillion
dollars annually," stated PM Oli.
Although controlling lead poisoning is entirely preventable and not so
costly, we have not done enough, he maintained.
Prime Minister Oli also informed the world that Nepal is one of the first
countries in the global south to ban leaded gasoline and the first in the
region to regulate lead in paint through binding rules.
Nepal enacted the National Lead Paint Standard in 2014 to eliminate leaded
paint from Nepal. Last year, the country introduced strict regulations limiting
heavy metals, including lead, in infant food, alcoholic beverages, and
essential food and water supplies.
"In 2024, we have taken another significant step forward with the
enactment of our Food Safety Bill, further strengthening the regulatory
framework to protect public health. We will conduct a national blood lead level
assessment in 2025, to collect critical data to further refine our health and
environmental policies," PM Oli said at the event.
He also pledged Nepal's national commitment to join the global effort to
ensure that no child’s potential is diminished by lead exposure.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 25 September 2024.
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