Mercury Convention
On 16 August 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury entered into force on a global scale.
The city of Minamata was affected by decades of massive mercury contamination from mercury-containing wastewater, which led to "Minamata disease," a disorder of the central nervous system caused by poisoning with the heavy metal.
Advice
The Convention is supported by an Effectiveness Evaluation Committee, which met for the first time in person in Geneva (Switzerland) from 9 to 11 February 2026. The 8th meeting, with 30 participants, reviewed the progress and effectiveness of the implementation measures (minamataconvention.org).
Occurrence and Utilization
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic heavy metal that is widespread in the environment and accumulates in various organisms. Mercury is released into water bodies and the atmosphere through the weathering of rocks and volcanic eruptions, but above all through human activities, in particular through the utilization of fossil fuels (especially coal!), mining activities, industrial processes and through mercury-containing products, such as electrical devices (switches, fluorescent and energy-saving lamps), dental amalgam, measuring instruments (fever thermometers, barometers, laboratory equipment) and batteries. The Convention regulates emissions and releases into air, water and soil.
Ratification and Implementation
Austria was one of the first states worldwide to sign this Convention on 10 October 2013 and ratified it on 12 June 2017. Currently, the Convention has 151 ratifications. For Austria, the multilateral Convention for the protection of the environment and human health has been legally binding under international law since 10 September 2017.
Based on an Impact Assessment, the EU prepared implementing legislative measures for ratification as part of a package through the recast of the EU Mercury Regulation, which has been applicable since 1 January 2018. The implementation of this Regulation was carried out through the ChemG Amendment 2018, Federal Law Gazette I No. 44/2018.
The EU and seven Member States ratified the Convention in advance of the first Conference of the Parties in 2017, COP-1 (mercuryconvention.org), on 18 May 2017. The German translation of the Convention was coordinated between Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the European Commission. Financing is always a major issue. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the so-called “Specific International Programme to Support Capacity-Building and Technical Assistance” (SIP) together form the financial mechanism of the Convention. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Conference of the Parties and the GEF was successfully adopted. In 2022, GEF 8 supported a large number of countries in the implementation of the Minamata Convention (thegef.org).
The SIP, which provides capacity-building and technical assistance, including technology transfer, in developing countries for the implementation of the Convention, complements the GEF and the Special Programme (minamataconvention.org).
The compliance mechanism of the Convention is monitored by the Implementation and Compliance Committee (ICC) (minamataconvention.org). From 24 to 25 September 2024, the 6th meeting was already held, which for the first time dealt with a written submission concerning compliance with the Convention by a Party itself.
Cooperation and coordination with other organizations of the United Nations, such as the WHO and the ILO, but also with the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS), which, like the Minamata Convention, are based in Geneva, takes place continuously in the spirit of synergies.
Conferences of the Parties
The second Conference of the Parties COP-2 (mercuryconvention.org) dealt with issues from the waste sector, including threshold values and guidelines for mercury-contaminated sites (Guidance on the management of contaminated sites) and waste incineration (open burning of waste). This also concerned the guidelines for interim storage (Draft guidelines on the interim storage of mercury and mercury compounds) and arrangements for comparable monitoring data as part of the effectiveness evaluation until 2023. Customs codes, based on national codes, and a review of the annexes concerning products and processes were also discussed.
The third Conference of the Parties COP-3 (mercuryconvention.org) to the Minamata Convention (COP-3) took place from 25 to 29 November 2019 in Geneva. Three groups of experts (amendment of Annexes A and B concerning products and processes, releases, waste) met to prepare for COP-4.
The fourth Conference of the Parties COP-4 (mercuryconvention.org) adopted the budget with an increase of up to 15 percent for 2023 and established terms of reference for financing (terms of reference of the second review of the financial mechanism). In addition to continuing cooperation and collaboration with the BRS Secretariat, the Secretariat of the Convention was requested to report, on the one hand, on its contribution to the global post-2020 biodiversity framework (post-2020 global biodiversity framework (cbd.int)), but also on the implementation of the UNEA 5.2 resolutions, namely:
- the resolution on the sound management of chemicals and waste
- on the science-policy panel to further contribute to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution
Furthermore, the declaration against illegal mercury trade submitted by the Indonesian Presidency, entitled “Bali declaration on fighting illegal trade of mercury”, was also explicitly supported by Austria.
The fifth Conference of the Parties COP-5 (minamataconvention.org) adopted a corresponding national action plan for those Parties that have not yet phased out the use of dental amalgam, as well as the collection of data on mercury-containing skin-lightening cosmetics and the implementation of their ban. Beyond the synergies with the BRS Conventions, coordination and cooperation with the Climate Agreement, the new Global Framework on Chemicals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework will be strengthened. The further phase-out of mercury-added products such as lamps and mercury-using processes such as polyurethane production was established.
The sixth Conference of the Parties COP-6 (3 to 7 November 2025 in Geneva (Switzerland)) decided on the phase-out of dental amalgam from 2034 and strengthened efforts to phase out mercury-containing cosmetics. With regard to artisanal and small-scale gold mining, it is important to record trade and existing stocks; customs codes are to be established and transparency in the supply chain, particularly in the gold trade, is to be ensured. A decision concerning the first report on the effectiveness evaluation of the Convention was also adopted, as was the decision on close cooperation with the World Chemicals Council ISP-CWP, the Global Framework on Chemicals GFC and the BRS Conventions.”
Report on the work of the ad hoc group of experts on effectiveness evaluation (Word, 90 KB)