Global Environment Facility

The GEF’s funding for mercury has been provided to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to prepare Minamata Initial Assessments (MIAs) and artisanal and small-scale gold mining (AGSM) National Action Plans (NAPs), and to undertake projects designed to support implementation of particular articles of the Convention. As reported to COP-6, between 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025 the GEF committed $174.0 million for programming to support the implementation of the Convention under its eighth replenishment, encompassing July 2022-June 2026 period. Funding for the Convention during the GEF-8 period, in line with the chemicals and waste focal area programming strategy, comprises support both for enabling activities, including Minamata Initial Assessments and National Action Plans on artisanal and small-scale gold mining, and for the implementation of projects and programmes.

Moreover, by June 2025, including programming from the fifth to the eighth replenishments, GEF had provided support to enable a total of 120 countries to develop Minamata Initial Assessments, 82 of which had been submitted to the Secretariat. During the same period, GEF support enabled 50 countries to prepare their artisanal and small-scale gold mining National Action Plans. As at 1 June 2025, 37 such action plans had been completed and submitted to the Secretariat.

In addition, under the three most recent work programmes, GEF increased programming under the Minamata Convention allocation and provided funding for various projects and programmes. In particular, GEF:

• (a) Expanded the number of countries participating in the planetGOLD programme to 27, further broadening the reach of transformational artisanal and small-scale gold mining approaches in response to the requirements of article 7 of the Convention;
• (b) Approved a global chemicals monitoring programme addressing persistent organic pollutants and mercury, to be implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP);
• (c) A global programme on mercury emissions from the non-ferrous metals production sector in six countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), that will provide support to parties in their efforts to meet the requirements under article 8 of the Convention, on mercury emissions;
• (d) A regional project addressing mercury-added skin-lightening cosmetics in 13 countries in Africa (implemented by UNEP);
• (e) Three full-sized national projects aimed at tackling mercury: (a) in the healthcare sector supply chain in Indonesia implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); (b) across industrial sectors in Argentina (implemented by UNDP); and (c) in the chlor-alkali sector, including excess metal mercury and waste, in Brazil (implemented by UNEP);
• (f) Two full-sized projects addressing mercury emissions from the cement and construction industries in Brazil and the Philippines (implemented by UNIDO), aimed at strengthening national capacity for management, monitoring and reduction of mercury.

At each COP the GEF reports on its work to support Parties and how it has responded to the guidance provided by the COP: GEF report to COP-1 (UNEP/MC/COP.1/INF/3), COP-2 (UNEP/MC/COP.2/INF/3), COP-3 (UNEP/MC/COP.3/INF/2), COP-4 (UNEP/MC/COP.4/INF/7), COP-5 (UNEP/MC/COP.5/INF/14), and COP-6 (UNEP/MC/COP.6/INF/13). 

 The Secretariat also provides a report on the financial mechanism to each COP: update on matters related to the Global Environment Facility at COP-1 (UNEP/MC/COP.1/8), COP-2 (UNEP/MC/COP.2/8), COP-3 (UNEP/MC/COP.3/9), COP-4 (UNEP/MC/COP.4/9), COP-5 (UNEP/MC/COP.5/10), and COP-6 (UNEP/MC/COP.6/10).