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Video
Launching the Women's Caucus for the Minamata Convention on Mercury
Watch the video recording in English of this online event, which took place on Thursday, 12 June, originally with live interpretation in French and Spanish.
Highlights
UNEP workshop - Advancing effective MEA implementation in Central Asia
This capacity-building workshop from 17 to 19 June in Almaty, Kazakhstan, aims to advance the effective implementation of MEAs at the national level in the Central Asia region to combat pollution.
Highlights
IISD-ENB coverage of the 69th Meeting of the GEF Council
Read the Earth Negotiations Bulletin coverage by the International Institute for Sustainable Development of June 3, highlighting the participation of Executive Secretary Monika Stankiewicz.
News
GEF Council approves mercury-related projects in 20 countries
At its 69th Council Meeting, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) approved a new work program that includes three major mercury-related projects across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Statement
Statement: Monika Stankiewicz at the first meeting for the GEF-9 replenishment
Selected remarks by Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary of the Minamata Convention, delivered at the First Meeting for the Ninth Replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fun
Video
Youth Dialogue 2025
The Youth Dialogue on Mercury is an initiative of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan: the programme started in 2021 to encourage dialogue among youths from Minamata and other parts of the world
News
Council of Europe adopts new Convention on environmental crime, including mercury-related offences
On 14 May 2025, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted a new Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law, the first international legally binding instrument
Highlights
Read now: Free trade zones, trans-shipment and multilateral environmental agreements
Explore the information note from the Green Customs Initiative, featuring contributions from the Minamata Convention secretariat, especially on the consent procedure for the import of mercury.
Special event
Minamata Convention at 2025 BRS COPs
The 2025 meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs), was held in Geneva from 28 April to 9 May 2025.
About the Minamata Convention
The Minamata Convention on Mercury is the most recent global agreement on environment and health, adopted in 2013. It is named after the bay in Japan where, in the mid-20th century, mercury-tainted industrial wastewater poisoned thousands of people, leading to severe health damage that became known as the "Minamata disease."
Since it entered into force on 16 August 2017, Parties have been working together to control the mercury supply and trade, reduce the use, emission and release of mercury, raise public awareness, and build the necessary institutional capacity to #MakeMercuryHistory