The UNEP Governing Council, during its last regular sessions in February 2009 and 2007, mandated UNEP to undertake a number of activities relating to lead and cadmium.

In 2005/2006, UNEP Chemical's workplan focused its activities towards developing reviews of scientific information on lead and cadmium, focusing especially on long-range environmental transport, as requested by the UNEP Governing Council, in order to inform future discussions of the Governing Council on the possible need for global action in relation to these two heavy metals.  These scientific reviews were made available to the Governing Council at its 24th regular session in February 2007.

UNEP, through its Division of  Policy Development and Law, is also the clearing house for the global Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles, launched by  World Summit partners in September 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which has prioritized the global phase-out of leaded gasoline, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa, by December 2005. The promise made in 2002 to rid sub Saharan Africa of leaded petrol has been met. In early 2006, the Partnership will launch a global leaded gasoline phase-out for the rest of the developing world and economies in transition with the goal of
eliminating leaded petrol world-wide by 2008.