For immediate release

Today, Monday 15th of January 2018, the Nigerian NTA TV will broadcast the 30 minute documentary produced by the BRS Conventions, Women Environmental Programme (WEP) and our organization, and made by filmmaker Laure Poinsot, entitled “What has Gender got to do with Chemicals?”.

In Africa’s most populated country, Nigeria, with its almost 200 million inhabitants, toxic pollution from waste is yet another challenge to society, economy and security. Nigerian NTA TV will broadcast the documentary which analyses how waste is leading to toxic pollution in Nigeria and highlights the solutions women and men are working on.

The film shows how women and men are impacted by toxic pollution from waste and chemicals – partly imported illegally from Europe and America – while it visits the hidden e-waste markets and waste dumps around the country.

Although authorities have already stopped a number of container ships carrying illicit imports of e-waste, the problem is much larger, as products ‘legally’ imported and produced, such as plastic packaging and industrial products, also become toxic when burned in the open. This polluted food, air, water and agricultural soils contain so-called POPs (persistent organic pollutants) which can cause cancer, and lead to the rejection of food exports from Nigeria.

The film also shows how social entrepreneurs, women’s organisations, authorities and the UN are working on solutions, such as waste collection, recycling and production of safe pesticides from the indigenous NEEM tree.

 

TV Broadcast

The documentary will be broadcast, Monday 15 of January 2018, between 5.30-6.00 PM Nigeria time, at Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) International – The channel can be viewed via Digital Satellite Television (DSTV) in Africa and on other cable networks in different parts of the world. The documentary is also available on YouTube, including the 3-minute trailer.

The film was screened in the presence of the protagonists from government and civil society at a high level event organised by WEP Nigeria and us on the 10th of January at the Royal Choice Inn in Abuja, followed by a panel discussion with representatives from the Ministry of Environment and the UN.

 

Scoping Study

The film is accompanied by the publication “Gender Dimensions of Hazardous Chemicals and Waste Policies under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.” The scoping study aims to understand three gender dimensions. First, how women and men are differently impacted in their health by POPs, hazardous chemicals & waste? Second, how do women and men’s occupations and roles at home and at work influence exposure to POPs, hazardous chemicals & waste? And third: What best practices exist in government, UN and civil society, with both women’s and men’s leadership, to substitute and eliminate POPs, hazardous chemicals & waste?

Visit BRS Conventions website for more information.

 

About the film

The film is produced as part of the project “Gender Dimensions of implementing the BRS conventions” by us, WEP Nigeria, and BaliFokus with the support of the BRS Conventions secretariat and the governments of Germany and Sweden. All activities are based on the Gender Action Plan of the BRS Conventions and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030, in particular SDG 5 on Gender Equality and SDG 12 on Sustainable Production and Consumption. All our programmes and WEP programmes are coordinated under the framework programme Women2030 in partnership with the European Commission.

 

Contact:

Chantal van den Bossche, Press Coordinator, WECF
chantal.vandenbossche@wecf.org

John Baaki, Women2030 coordinator, WEP
www.wepnigeria.net

Learn more about what we and WEP are doing towards realizing gender equality in sustainable development and visit our #Women2030 website.