First Assembly of the Global Alliance for the Development and Deployment of Products, Methods and Strategies as Alternatives to DDT for Disease Vector Control

Geneva, Switzerland, on 26 April 2011

The First Assembly of the Global Alliance for the Development and Deployment of Products, Methods and Strategies as Alternatives to DDT for Disease Vector Control was successfully concluded on the evening of Tuesday 26 April 2011 at the Geneva International Conference Centre, Geneva, during the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention. The First Assembly marked a major milestone on the roadmap towards reducing reliance on DDT for disease vector control and the maturity of the Global Alliance to undertake its mission. The global community and donor agencies are invited to extend financial and/or other support for the implementation of the activities planned.

Highlights

Ms. Noluzuko Gwayi of South Africa and Mr. Gordo Jain of Germany co-chaired the meeting which was attended by its members, delegates of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention and observers. 

The assembly endorsed the strategy proposed by the Interim Steering Committee as the way forward for the implementation of the Global Alliance towards achieving its goals and thereby realizing the broader objectives of the Convention to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants. The members agreed to support the implementing strategy by adopting the members’ declaration. 

Initially, the Global Alliance will focus on the following four action points within the five themes of interventions to establish the foundation for implementation of its strategy:

  • Develop a harmonized registration system for new vector-control chemicals and products, commencing with a pilot study in selected disease-endemic countries;
  • Strengthen entomological capacity at all levels to manage new vector control products, technologies and resistance management strategies; 
  • Collect evidence on public health values of interventions with emphasis on non-chemical, non-commercial, community-based and environmental interventions; 
  • Develop advocacy and resource material in order to promote public awareness, understanding, and participation in IVM and related cultural and programmatic practices. 

The Global Alliance was officially launched at the extra-ordinary Conference of the Parties of the three chemicals conventions in Bali in 2010. Although it has not set a deadline for the elimination of DDT, the Global Alliance has the goal to eliminate the reliance of DDT for disease vector control by strengthening countries capacities to deploy safer alternatives. Moreover, it triggers significant action in support of the development and deployment of alternatives to DDT, though it does not undertake substantive operations related to vector control or research. The Global Alliance also provides opportunities for stakeholders to contribute to the development and deployment of alternatives to DDT through a flexible and inclusive mechanism.

The Global Alliance also coordinated a poster competition on Innovative Alternatives to DDT used for malaria vector control organized by the Biovision Foundation, Switzerland, in support of achieving the objectives of the Global Alliance. During the first assembly, of the eight posters selected for the occasion, Mr. Harrysone Atieli, from Kenya, and Mr. Emmanuel Chanda, from Zambia, received two prize awards of USD 15,000 each for their outstanding work presented under the titles of “House design modifications reduce indoor resting malaria vector densities in malaria endemic, lowlands of western Kenya” and “Integrating larval source management in the national malaria control programme in Zambia”, respectively.

The Global Alliance for the development and deployment of alternatives to DDT -  First Alliance Assembly (presentation by the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention)
The Global Alliance for the development and deployment of alternatives to DDT - First Alliance Assembly (Meeting Report)

Working Documents

 

DocumentTitleEnglish
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA.1/1Provisional agenda70 K 35.59 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA.1/2Annotations to the provisional agenda154 K 74.83 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA.1/3Members declaration of the Global Alliance for the development and deployment of alternative products, methods and strategies to DDT for disease vector control163 K 48.72 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA.1/4Proposal by the interim steering committee on the strategy and functional structure of the Global Alliance for alternatives to DDT412 K 357.86 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA.1/5List of members of the interim steering committee of the Global alliance for the development and deployment of products, methods and strategies as alternatives to DDT for disease vector control221.5 K 42.8 K

Information Documents

 

DocumentTitleEnglish
UNEP/POPS/DDTGA/LIST/MembersList of Members (as of 31st March 2011)215.41 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA/TGCE.1/2Reports of the first meeting of the core-team on cost-effectiveness of alternatives to DDT75.93 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA/TGCHM.1/2Report of the first meeting of the core-team on reducing barriers to bringing new chemicals and products to market59.86 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA/TGIVM.1/2Reports of the first meeting of the core-team on strengthening of in-country decision making on integrated vector management519.43 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA/TGNONC.1/2Report of the first meeting of the core-team on reducing barriers for bringing new nonchemical methods into use72.51 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA/TGCE.1/3Plan of action for the Thematic Group on Cost-effectiveness of alternatives to DDT129.74 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA/TGCHM.1/3Plan of Action for the Implementation of Thematic Group on Reducing Barriers to Bringing New Chemicals and Products to Market (draft document)200 K 134.26 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA/TGIVM.1/3Plan of action on Strengthening of In-country Decision Making on IVM161.5 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA/TGNONC.1/3Plan of action for the Thematic Group on Reducing Barriers for Bringing New Nonchemical methods into use134.27 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/IPHP.1/3Report of the international public health pesticides workshop: An examination of the barriers and possible solutions for bringing new public health pesticide products to market in developing countries - September 29 – October 1, 2009428.48 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA/TGIVM.1/4Report developed by the Secretariat on the review of the current status of implementation of integrated vector management215.71 K
UNEP/POPS/DDT/GA/TGIVM.1/5Report of the workshop on strengthening of country capacities to implement integrated vector management toward reducing the reliance on DDT for eight disease endemic countries - Nairobi June 2010281.87 K
UNEP/POPS/GAISC.1/6/Rev.1Report of the first meeting of the interim steering committee213.15 K
UNEP/POPS/GAISC.2/8Report of the second meeting of the interim steering committee167.08 K
UNEP/POPS/GAISC.3/2Report of the third meeting of the interim steering committee100.86 K

Photos

Paperless meeting

The meeting will be paperless:

  • Printed documents will not be available at the meeting. 
  • All pre-session documents will be made available on the Convention website. 
  • In-session documents (such as conference room papers) will be available electronically via a wireless intranet, e-mail or memory stick only. 

A paperless meeting has the benefit of considerably reducing the costs and the carbon footprint of the meeting. The cost savings may be used to support the participation of delegates. A paperless meeting will also make it easier for delegates to locate particular documents and will allow for faster preparation and distribution of conference room papers. 

Requirements for a paperless meeting

Each delegate is requested to follow the requirements described below: 

  1. Each delegate is required to have a laptop containing basic applications, including Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat Reader and updated antivirus software. 
  2. Laptops must be free of viruses and pre-checked for viruses prior to arrival at the meeting. Virus-free laptops are crucial to the success of the paperless meeting
  3. Laptops should be configured for a standard wireless (wi-fi) connection and to connect to the wi-fi by default. If in doubt, please check with your local information technology expert. 
  4. Please bring a memory stick with you in case you need to transfer data. Ensure that it is virus-free.
  5. Please bring an appropriate adaptor to enable you to connect your laptop to Swiss power sockets (see image below).
  6. Please include a current e-mail address when completing the meeting registration form. Your e-mail box must have enough space available to accept e-mails containing meeting documents.

Electricity

Voltage: 230 volts
Frequency: 50 Hz
Plug/socket: C (CEE 7/16) , J

C (CEE 7/16)- photo Wikimedia Commons plug J - photo Wikimedia Commons