Partnership Strategy
Lead poisoning is preventable, yet it robs millions of children of their potential, affecting their health, development and opportunities for the future. This global crisis requires a united, determined response. The Partnership for a Lead-Free Future (PLF) is more than a partnership; it is a promise—to every child, to every community and to our shared future.
The Partnership envisions a world in which all children grow up free from lead exposure. As a global movement, PLF is dedicated to eradicating childhood lead poisoning, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries where the burden is most severe. By empowering national action, PLF supports country-led initiatives through comprehensive plans to phase out lead from consumer products, promote safer industrial practices and protect vulnerable communities. The partnership accelerates change by fostering the adoption and enforcement of robust lead mitigation policies, providing a collaborative platform to exchange proven strategies, innovative solutions and effective awareness campaigns. By sharing knowledge, resources and technical expertise, PLF drives swift, scalable and sustainable action. It also builds bridges between governments, industries, philanthropies, donors and civil society organizations to ensure equitable and sustained progress toward a lead-free future for every child, regardless of where they are born.
Goal: End childhood lead poisoning by 2040.
Vision: A world in which all children grow up free from lead exposure.
Empowering national action:
Supporting country-led initiatives to eliminate childhood lead poisoning through comprehensive action plans. These plans focus on phasing out lead from consumer products, promoting safer industrial practices and protecting vulnerable communities from harmful exposure.
Driving change through standards and awareness:
Accelerating the adoption and enforcement of robust lead mitigation policies by offering a collaborative platform to exchange proven strategies, innovative solutions and effective awareness campaigns. By sharing knowledge, resources and technical expertise, we enable swift, scalable and sustainable action.
Building bridges for impact:
Forging powerful partnerships among governments, industries, philanthropies, donors, civil society organizations and other stakeholders. These alliances ensure equitable and sustained progress, breaking down barriers to create a healthier future for every child, no matter where they are born.
The Partnership invites national governments, international organizations, and philanthropies to join a transformative movement committed to protecting children from the devastating impacts of lead exposure. By aligning with the PLF’s vision and mission, partners pledge to take meaningful and measurable actions that drive real change. The PLF is also forging a path to engage the private sector as essential stakeholders in the global response, recognizing their pivotal role in shaping a lead-free future.
Becoming a PLF partner is more than a statement of support—it’s a call to action. Partners demonstrate their commitment through impactful measures such as enhancing intergovernmental coordination by appointing cross-sectoral lead-specific roles within governments, launching multisectoral action plans to eliminate lead exposure and prioritizing mitigation efforts by enacting laws and policies targeting key sources of lead. They also share their expertise, resources and data through partnership working groups, ensuring local insights inform global solutions. Additionally, partners amplify awareness by attending PLF events and championing the issue of childhood lead exposure on national, regional and global stages.
Joining PLF means stepping into a leadership role in the fight against lead exposure, advancing collaborative solutions that protect our most vulnerable and secure a brighter future for generations to come. Together, we can turn commitment into action and action into impact. Let’s build a lead-free future for every child.
Partners commit to concrete actions such as improving intergovernmental coordination, developing multisectoral action plans, enacting policies to mitigate lead sources, sharing insights and resources and raising awareness on the issue. With a strategy to engage the private sector as key stakeholders, PLF fosters collaboration and innovation to protect children and secure a lead-free future for all.
Functions of the Secretariat
The UNICEF-hosted Secretariat will act as a central knowledge and resource hub through the resource library, empowering country-led efforts to combat lead poisoning while fostering coordinated action among partners, mobilizing new stakeholders, and catalyzing collective initiatives to accelerate global progress and bridge critical implementation gaps.
In-scope
- Enhance prioritization of the agenda
- Drive implementation support
- Accelerate strategies, innovation and access to technologies
Out-of-scope
- Global funding mechanism: Instead, is reliant on coordinated international donor support matched by domestic investments
- Global governance: Instead, is reliant on existing institutions and multilateral environmental agreements