MANILA, PHILIPPINES (24 September 2024) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) today announced a set of actions to mainstream lead exposure mitigation into its operations, as part of its participation in the newly formed Partnership for a Lead-Free Future, a global initiative led by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The partnership aims to eliminate childhood lead exposure by 2040.

The initiative, launched at the United Nations General Assembly today, will target high-risk countries including Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, and Nepal, among others throughout Asia and the Pacific.

ADB’s participation in the partnership underscores its ongoing commitment to addressing health and environmental challenges in developing Asia and the Pacific. Lead contamination, particularly from informal used lead-acid battery recycling sites, presents a major health crisis. Toxic lead exposure is affecting at least 400 million children in the region, leading to cognitive impairments, health complications, and major economic losses. The global economic cost of lead-related cognitive underdevelopment is estimated at about $1 trillion annually.

“Lead exposure doesn’t just affect children’s health—it holds back entire economies,” said ADB Vice-President for East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Scott Morris. “The Partnership for a Lead-Free Future is an important step in addressing this environmental, health, and economic issue. We will dedicate ADB’s expertise and resources to help ensure that countries across Asia and the Pacific can mitigate lead exposure, enhance public health, and secure a healthier, more productive future for all.”

ADB is embedding lead management into its broader environmental safeguards and technical assistance programs, and has already begun engaging with governments in Indonesia, India, and the Philippines to tackle lead contamination. The bank will co-host a technical side event on lead pollution at the 12th Asia Pacific Regional Forum on Health and Environment in Jakarta on 25 September, which will serve as a platform to advance the lead elimination agenda. Co-organized with the governments of Indonesia, Japan and Thailand, USAID, and the World Bank, the forum will highlight cutting-edge research on lead exposure and showcase effective strategies for reducing lead poisoning. 

In collaboration with the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, ADB is also developing the Chemical and Wastes Financing Partnership Facility, the first of its kind. This facility will scale chemical management, including lead mitigation, across the region. The initiative complements ADB’s work in managing hazardous waste, providing governments with the resources to regulate industries, replace hazardous materials, and enforce environmental standards.

ADB plans to integrate lead elimination into its universal health care support programs, starting in the Philippines. Through these programs, ADB has been working to ensure equitable access to health services, address gender-specific health needs, and mitigate the health impacts of climate change.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.