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Mercury scientists gathered in Minamata, Japan, to examine how the Minamata Convention is contributing to the protection of human health and the ecosystem from mercury.
The second meeting of the Open-Ended Scientific Group (OESG) started on 17 March 2025 in Minamata, Japan, bringing together 21 OESG members and about 20 experts. Co-chaired by Terry Keating (USA) and Dominique Bally Kpokro (Cote d’Ivoire), the meeting included teams of scientists presenting their work through electronic collaboration on air monitoring, biota monitoring, human biomonitoring, other media monitoring and emission/release.
Before the OESG meeting, the Ministry of the Environment of Japan and the National Institute for Minamata Disease (NIMD) convened a half-day workshop to present the mercury monitoring and international cooperation activities of NIMD. “The Minamata Convention mentions the lessons of the Minamata Disease in the preamble. One of the lessons is the importance of open and transparent science. I look forward to further scientific contribution by NIMD to the implementation of the Convention”, said Eisaku Toda, Senior Programme Officer of the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention, in his concluding remarks.
On 18 March, participants visited the Municipal Museum of Minamata Disease, and had a conversation with Masami Ogata, a victim and storyteller of Minamata Disease. “I have one message as a Minamata Disease patient”, said Ogata. “The Minamata Convention is not only for reducing mercury. What is important is to admit mistakes of irreversible pollution, and not to repeat them to protect the generations to come.”
The OESG will discuss the future vision of monitoring and integrated analysis of data on 19 and 20 March and consider its report to the Effectiveness Evaluation Group and to the Conference of the Parties on 21 March.
The OESG was established by the Conference of the Parties in 2022 to put together scientific information to evaluate the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention. The group consists of 42 members nominated by Parties, and supported by more than 100 experts registered in the roster. The group had its first meeting in Geneva in March 2023, and had 16 online meetings.