USAID, UNICEF announce $150M partnership for a lead-free future

Steps from the United Nations General Assembly, a collection of presidents, first ladies, and prime ministers gathered to launch a $150 million partnership centered on lead exposure — an issue that affects 1 in 3 children across the world. Lead exposure is something that rarely rises to the top of the global health agenda. But at UNICEF’s New York headquarters on Monday afternoon, the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future, a politically star-studded announcement, aimed to change that. “Parents give their children toys so that they can learn and play. They prepare meals with everyday cookware to keep their family fed. All the while, dangerous amounts of lead seep into their lives, and the consequences are irreversible,” said U.S. first lady Jill Biden at the partnership’s launch event. “These children will never reach the full potential they were born with because lead poisoning is so pervasive. But it's a problem we can solve.” Biden was joined onstage by Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera, Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, and Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader. The heads of those launching the partnership — the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Samantha Power and UNICEF’s Catherine Russell — sat nearby, while some 200 people crowded the room before them. “Lead is poison, and no level is considered safe,” said Russell, speaking from the event stage. “It’s time we moved lead exposure from the margins to the mainstream of development.” Lead can trigger brain damage in children, from developmental delays to learning problems to lowered IQs. A recent study estimated that lead accounts for 20% of the education gap between high- and low-income countries — yet every year, just $15 million of international funding is put toward tackling the problem, Power told the crowd. “That is the cost of a single 60-second ad in the Super Bowl,” she added. By raising $150 million toward the cause, the partnership has mobilized more than 10 times the current annual investment, Power said, the result of commitments by 20 countries and 25 organizations, including Open Philanthropy, the Gates Foundation, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The partnership will facilitate blood surveys and environmental testing to better understand the levels of lead poisoning across low- and middle-income countries, and then use those measurements to push for new regulations against lead-based products. It will also rope in the private sector, aiming to drive more money to lead-free alternatives and lead-safe operations, according to a USAID press release. “I have been working for three decades in the international domain, seeking ways to improve and save lives, and never in my career have I seen such a compelling, low-cost opportunity to make such a massive impact on a major global killer,” Power said. It isn’t a new topic for the USAID administrator. For eight months, she’s been urging countries to prioritize the issue of lead exposure, especially in the places where children are most at risk. Across South Asia, for example, the toxin is often added to curry, turmeric, and masala powder to make their colors seem brighter. In the Philippines, a recent study found dangerously high levels of lead in 75% of playground equipment analyzed. At the event, Chakwera highlighted the experience of Malawi; a year after the president took office, high levels of lead were found in paint throughout the country — exposing over three million Malawian children to the toxic substance, Chakwera explained. “So while we are pouring millions of dollars in education, the outcomes of that education are being compromised by the impairment of children’s cognitive development caused by lead poisoning,” he added. Chakwera’s administration carved out resources to address the issue, he said, pushing for stronger enforcement of lead paint regulations and improving testing facilities’ ability to detect lead products. As a result, Chakwera said brands with lead paint dropped by 50% within two years. “As far as I’m concerned, addressing this issue is a moral imperative and a civic duty to secure Malawi’s future beyond election cycles,” Chakwera said. “There is no faster way to rob a country of its future than poisoning its children.” The partnership didn’t occur in a vacuum. Ever since U.S. President Joe Biden took office, preventing lead exposure has been a priority of his administration. In 2021, Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced an action plan that directed billions of dollars toward removing lead paint, pipes, and other fixtures across the country. USAID’s efforts have sought to expand that footprint globally, driving $25 million toward the partnership’s $150 million budget. But it’s not just USAID’s program alone: the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future will run through a secretariat at UNICEF, and 20 countries — from Indonesia to Ireland — are included as its founding partners. “[The partnership] has a coalition behind it,” said Jill Biden, speaking at the event. “Partners from governments to industries to advocates, who will phase out lead from everyday products, enforce safe standards, and create a lead-free future for every child.”