GAHP's First Working Group Meeting: Promoting Policy Change To Address Lead Exposure In Uganda

On April 4th, GAHP collaborated with the National Environment Management Authority Uganda, the Ministry of Water and Environment, the Directorate of Water Resources Management, Uganda, the Ministry of Trade, Industries and Cooperatives, the World Health Organization, and other stakeholders to launch an initiative to tackle lead exposure in Uganda. We aim to draft and recommend policy changes to mitigate the associated risks.

• Highlights: The highlight of the meeting was the discussion of the lead assessment report, which detailed the sources of lead exposure in Uganda, including industrial activities and everyday products. The report emphasized the lack of safe levels of lead exposure and the need for comprehensive management strategies. The formation of the first working group on lead in Uganda engaged in a detailed discussion about the preliminary report, calling for more stakeholder involvement, additional data collection, and increased enforcement of lead regulations.

• Outcomes: The meeting concluded with a session on gap analysis and proposed interventions for sound lead management, resulting in a list of proposed measures to reduce lead pollution and exposure.