Minamata Convention on Mercury

Minamata Convention
Minamata Convention on Mercury
Type United Nations treaty
Signed 10 October 2013 (2013-10-10)
Location Kumamoto, Japan
Condition Ninety days after the ratification by at least 50 states
Signatories 128[1]
Parties 33[1]
Depositary Secretary-General of the United Nations
Languages Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish

The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. This Convention was a result of three years of meeting and negotiating, after which the text of the Convention was signed by delegates from 140 countries on 19 January 2013. The Convention is named after the Japanese city Minimata. This naming is of symbolic importance as the city went through devastating incident of mercury poisoning. It is expected that over the next few decades, this international agreement will enhance the reduction of mercury pollution from the targeted activities responsible for the major release of mercury to the immediate environment.[2]

History

Mercury and mercury compounds have long been known to be toxic to humans and other organisms. Large-scale public health crises due to mercury poisoning, such as Minamata disease and Niigata Minamata disease, drew attention to the issue. In 1972, delegates to the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment witnessed Japanese junior high school student Shinobu Sakamoto, disabled as the result of methylmercury poisoning in utero. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was established shortly thereafter.[3] UNEP was mandated in 2001 to prepare a studay on the impacts of mercurs. In 2003, the Global Mercury Assessment was presented to the 22nd UNEP Governing Council, who accepted the assessment's finding that the global adverse impacts from mercury and its compound warrant further international action. In response, Switzerland and Norway proposed to start negotiations of a legally binding instrument on Mercury.[4] The reason the idea was not initially put into an action was that the USA called for voluntary actions to decrease the emission, undermining the need for the treaty.[5] However, on 20 February 2009, the 25th Governing Council of UNEP adopted a decision "to initiate international action to manage mercury in an efficient, effective and coherent manner."[6]

Finally, at the UNEP Governing council meeting, USA agreed to work together with other nations to create a binding agreement on mercury emission. The negotiation process was promptly established by the governing council, in which countries aspiring to sign the treaty, created the text of the convention. Outside members also gave some input in terms of lobbying and giving professional advice.[5] An Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) was established, chaired by Fernando Lugris of Uruguay and supported by the Chemicals Branch of UNEP's Division of Technology, Industry and Economics. The INC held five sessions to discuss and negotiate a global agreement on mercury:

Forty participating countries were tested for mercury by the representatives from IPEN and different nonpartisan organizations from Sweden. Each country was positive on mercury, and, "more than a third exceeded the U.S. National Research Council reference dose of 1 ppm." This created a bigger wish among the countries to decrease the impact of mercury.[5] On 19 January 2013, after negotiating late into the night, the negotiations concluded with 147 governments agreeing to the draft convention text.[17]

The Convention was adopted and opened for signature on 10 October 2013, at a Conference of Plenipotentiaries (Diplomatic Conference) in Kumamoto, Japan, preceded by a Preparatory Meeting from 7–8 October 2013.[18][19][20] The European Union and 86 countries signed the Convention on the first day it was open.[21] A further 5 countries signed the Convention on the final day of the Diplomatic Conference, 11 October 2013.

The Convention will enter into force 90 days after it has been ratified by 50 nations. During the interim period, further meetings of the INC will be held to address such details as the organization of a permanent secretariat. Fernando Lugris, the Uruguayan chair delegate, proclaimed, "Today in the early hours of 19 January 2013 we have closed a chapter on a journey that has taken four years of often intense but ultimately successful negotiations and opened a new chapter towards a sustainable future. This has been done in the name of vulnerable populations everywhere and represents an opportunity for a healthier and more sustainable century for all peoples."[22]

List of signatories and ratifiers

Participant Signature Ratification
 Albania 9 October 2014
 Angola 11 October 2013
 Antigua and Barbuda 23 September 2016
 Argentina 10 October 2013
 Armenia 10 October 2013
 Australia 10 October 2013
 Austria 10 October 2013
 Bangladesh 10 October 2013
 Belarus 23 September 2014
 Belgium 10 October 2013
 Benin 10 October 2013
 Bolivia 10 October 2013 26 January 2016
 Botswana 3 June 2016
 Brazil 10 October 2013
 Bulgaria 10 October 2013
 Burkina Faso 10 October 2013
 Burundi 14 February 2014
 Cambodia 10 October 2013
 Cameroon 24 September 2014
 Canada 10 October 2013
 Central African Republic 10 October 2013
 Chad 25 September 2014 24 September 2015
 Chile 10 October 2013
 China 10 October 2013 31 August 2016[23]
 Colombia 10 October 2013
 Comoros 10 October 2013
 Republic of the Congo 9 October 2014
 Costa Rica 10 October 2013
 Côte d'Ivoire 10 October 2013
 Croatia 24 September 2014
 Cyprus 24 September 2014
 Czech Republic 10 October 2013
 Denmark 10 October 2013
 Djibouti 10 October 2013 23 September 2014
 Dominican Republic 10 October 2013
 Ecuador 10 October 2013 1 August 2016
 Ethiopia 10 October 2013
 European Union 10 October 2013
 Finland 10 October 2013
 France 10 October 2013
 Gabon 30 June 2014 24 September 2014
 Gambia 10 October 2013
 Georgia 10 October 2013
 Germany 10 October 2013
 Ghana 24 September 2014
 Greece 10 October 2013
 Guatemala 10 October 2013
 Guinea 25 November 2013 21 October 2014
 Guinea-Bissau 24 September 2014
 Guyana 10 October 2013 24 September 2014
 Honduras 24 September 2014
 Hungary 10 October 2013
 India 30 September 2014
 Indonesia 10 October 2013
 Iran 10 October 2013
 Iraq 10 October 2013
 Ireland 10 October 2013
 Israel 10 October 2013
 Italy 10 October 2013
 Jamaica 10 October 2013
 Japan 10 October 2013 2 February 2016
 Jordan 10 October 2013 12 November 2015
 Kenya 10 October 2013
 Kuwait 10 October 2013 3 December 2015
 Latvia 24 September 2014
 Lesotho 12 November 2014
 Liberia 24 September 2014
 Libya 10 October 2013
 Lithuania 10 October 2013
 Luxembourg 10 October 2013
 Republic of Macedonia 25 July 2014
 Madagascar 10 October 2013 13 May 2015
 Malawi 10 October 2013
 Malaysia 24 September 2014
 Mali 10 October 2013 27 May 2016
 Malta 9 October 2014
 Mauritania 11 October 2013 18 August 2015
 Mauritius 10 October 2013
 Mexico 10 October 2013 29 September 2015
 Moldova 10 October 2013
 Monaco 24 September 2014 24 September 2014
 Mongolia 10 October 2013 28 September 2015
 Montenegro 24 September 2014
 Morocco 6 June 2014
 Mozambique 10 October 2013
   Nepal 10 October 2013
 Netherlands 10 October 2013
 New Zealand 10 October 2013
 Nicaragua 10 October 2013 29 October 2014
 Niger 10 October 2013
 Nigeria 10 October 2013
 Norway 10 October 2013
 Pakistan 10 October 2013
 Palau 9 October 2014
 Panama 10 October 2013 29 September 2015
 Paraguay 10 February 2014
 Peru 10 October 2013 21 January 2016
 Philippines 10 October 2013
 Poland 24 September 2014
 Romania 10 October 2013
 Russia 24 September 2014
 Samoa 10 October 2013 24 September 2015
 Senegal 11 October 2013 3 March 2016
 Serbia 9 October 2014
 Seychelles 27 May 2014 13 January 2015
 Sierra Leone 12 August 2014 1 November 2016
 Singapore 10 October 2013
 Slovakia 10 October 2013
 Slovenia 10 October 2013
 South Africa 10 October 2013
 South Korea 24 September 2014
 Spain 10 October 2013
 Sri Lanka 9 October 2014
 Sudan 24 September 2014
 Sweden 10 October 2013
 Swaziland 21 September 2016
  Switzerland 10 October 2013 25 May 2016
 Syria 24 September 2014
 Tanzania 10 October 2013
 Togo 10 October 2013
 Tunisia 10 October 2013
 Turkey 24 September 2014
 Uganda 10 October 2013
 United Arab Emirates 10 October 2013
 United Kingdom 10 October 2013
 United States 6 November 2013 6 November 2013
 Uruguay 10 October 2013 24 September 2014
 Venezuela 10 October 2013
 Vietnam 11 October 2013
 Yemen 21 March 2014
 Zambia 10 October 2013 11 March 2016
 Zimbabwe 11 October 2013

Results of the Convention

The convention has prohibited a myriad of products containing mercury, and their production and trade will be altogether prohibited by 2020. These products include batteries, compact fluorescent lamps, switches and relays, soaps and cosmetics, thermometers, and blood pressure devices. Furthermore, delegates went as far as prohibiting vaccines containing mercury, as well as dental fillings which use mercury amalgam. The biggest mercury release comes from coal-fired power stations and usage of mercury to separate gold from ore-bearing rock. Mercury from the factories is released into a river system. The Convention requires countries to come up with plans to reduce the amount of mercury used by gold miners. The treaty will also organize and financially support mercury awareness campaigns by which it will give support for mercury-free alternatives.[22]

Text and provisions

The constitution of the Convention states that the Parties to the Convention have recognized that mercury is, “a chemical of global concern owing to its long-range atmospheric transport, its persistence in the environment once anthropogenically introduced, its ability to bioaccumulate in ecosystems and its significant negative effects on human health and the environment.”[24] The document was based on the decision of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Program to create international agreement to deal with mercury in the proper manner. United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development entitled international community with the role to negotiate a legally binding treaty on mercury to address the problem. The Convention aroused because of awareness of the participating countries about the influence of mercury on human health, especially in developing countries. It was following the safety standard acknowledging the impact of biomagnification of mercury on traditional foods. The text of the Convention further recalled the lesson on Minamata disease in Japan about the serious safety and environmental effects from mercury pollution. The developed countries have promised to help financially, technically, and technologically to developing countries in the management of mercury, in order to promote the proper implementation of the Convention. The Convention gave praise to the activities of the World Health Organization in the fight against impact of mercury on human health. The Convention accepts other international agreements on mercury, and sees them as mutually supportive.[24]

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

Article 4

Article 5

Article 6

Article 7

Article 8

Article 9

Article 10

Article 11

Article 12

Article 13

Article 14

Article 15

Article 16

Article 17

Article 18

Article 19

Article 21

Article 22

Article 23

Article 24

Article 25

Article 26

Article 27

Article 28

Article 29

Article 30

Article 31

Article 32

Article 33

Article 34

Article 35

Workshops

On the Conference of Plenipotentiary in Kumamoto in October 2013 it was agreed to organize workshops all around the world in support for ratification and implementation of the Minamata Conference on Mercury. In order to operate within these workshops successfully the secretariat is working with other relevant bodies, “including the secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions in order to make full use of relevant experience and expertise.”[25] The workshops have been set up in order to improve the understanding and implementation of convention, as well as raise awareness about the process for implementation, signature and ratification. One of their goals is to inform people about “available sources of support and creating opportunities for exchange and action in the sub-regions.”[25] At the conclusion of each workshop the participants define national roadmaps and set out steps that should be taken at national level to achieve successful ratification and implementation.

The workshops deliver an opportunity for coordination of work in the interim period, as well as enabling activities with the support of the Global Environment Facility, with contributions to the workshop from the secretariat of different organizations. “The Interim Secretariat will be organizing regional workshops to support ratification and early implementation of the Minamata Convention in 2015, back-to-back with the regional meetings for the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions in preparation for their Conferences of the Parties to be held in 2015.” [25]

Mercury Club

Within the conference a “Mercury Club” was established to support the negotiating process for the legally binding instrument on mercury. Three different types of awards, gold, silver and bronze, were presented and established “according to the level of contributions received in the time period between the 25th session of the UNEP Governing Council, where the decision to convene negotiations was taken, and the sixth session of the intergovernmental negotiating committee.”[26] The recipient of award included governmental bodies, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and individuals. Contributions could be made in different form such as in cash or acts like hosting of a meeting directly related to the negotiations process.

Money contributions were awarded as followed:

GOLD certificates awarded to:[26]

SILVER certificates awarded to:[26]

BRONZE certificates awarded to: [26]

See also

External links

References

  1. 1 2 "News". Minamata Convention on Mercury site. UNEP. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
  2. Bailey, Marianne. "Minamata Convention on Mercury". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  3. Tanaka, Hisatoshi (9 October 2013). "Minamata disease sufferer pins hope on mercury ban treaty". The Asahi Shimbun. Tokyo, Japan: The Asahi Shimbun Company. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  4. Henrik Hallgrim Eriksen and Franz Xaver Perrez, The Minamata Convention: A Comprehensive Response to a Global PRoblem, RECIEL 23 (2) 2014, pp. 196
  5. 1 2 3 Kessler, Rebecca (October 2013). "The Minamata Convention on Mercury: A First Step toward Protecting Future Generations". Environmental Health Perspectives. 121 (10): A304–A309. doi:10.1289/ehp.121-A304. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  6. "Mandate". United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  7. "INC1". United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  8. Ashton, M.; Kantai, T., Templeton, J., Xia, K. (14 June 2010). "First Meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury". International Institute for Sustainable Development. Retrieved 10 October 2013. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
  9. "INC2". United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  10. Ashton, M.; Kohler, P., Xia, K. (31 January 2011). "Summary of the Second Meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury". International Institute for Sustainable Development. Retrieved 10 October 2013. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
  11. "INC3". United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  12. Kantai, T.; Templeton, J., Xia, K. (7 November 2011). "Summary of the Third Meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury". International Institute for Sustainable Development. Retrieved 10 October 2013. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
  13. "INC4". United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  14. Aguilar, S., Barrios, P., Kantai, T., Kohler, P., Templeton, J. (6 July 2012). "Summary of the Fourth Meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury". International Institute for Sustainable Development. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  15. "INC5". United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  16. Kohler, P., Morgera, E., Ripley, K., Schabus, N., Tsioumani, E. (21 January 2013). "Summary of the Fifth Meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury". International Institute for Sustainable Development. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  17. "Minamata Convention Agreed by Nations". United Nations Environment Programme. 19 January 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  18. "Diplomatic Conference for the Minamata Convention on Mercury". United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  19. Aquino, Grace (8 October 2013). "Kumamoto launches Minamata Convention to regulate use of mercury". Japan Daily Press. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  20. Aritake, Toshio (7 October 2013). "Global Convention on Phaseout of Mercury Set to Be Adopted in Japan in October". Bloomberg/Bureau of National Affairs. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  21. DeFerranti, R., Kohler, P., Malan, A.S. (10 October 2013). "Minamata Diplomatic Conference Highlights". International Institute for Sustainable Development. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  22. 1 2 Nuttal, Nick. "Minamata Convention Agreed by Nations". United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  23. China has also declared that the convention will be extended to cover both Hong Kong and Macau.
  24. 1 2 3 "Minamata Convention on mercury" (PDF). Mercury Convention. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  25. 1 2 3 "Workshops". UNEP Minamata Convention on Mercury. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Mercury Club". UNEP Minamata Convention on Mercury. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
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