Le Secrétariat de la Convention de Minamata participe à la Conférence des Nations Unies sur la Biodiversité 2024

Themed "Peace with Nature",  COP16 marked a milestone in global action on biodiversity loss, as it was the first Biodiversity COP since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). 

At the closing session of COP-16, which extended into the morning of 2 November, Parties agreed to establish a subsidiary body on Article 8(j) and related provisions of the CBD to expand the role for Indigenous Peoples and local communities in advising future COPs. Parties adopted a new Programme of Work on Article 8(j) and related provisions pertaining to Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The new Programme of Work aims to further integrate the rights, contributions and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities into the GBF. 

UN Environment Executive Director Inger Andersen highlighted that "the new agreement on Article 8(j) is a critical step forward and commits us to embed the knowledge and role of Indigenous Peoples and local custodians across our work to deliver the Global Biodiversity Framework."

During the COP16 High-Level Segment, UN Secretary-General António Guterres also called for immediate action to protect nature and empower Indigenous Peoples and local communities. "Peace with nature means peace for those who protect it," he said.

At COP 16, CBD Parties approved a Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health designed to help curb the emergence of zoonotic diseases, prevent non-communicable diseases, and promote sustainable ecosystems. Recognizing that biodiversity loss and poor health often share common drivers—such as deforestation, pollution, and climate change—the Plan emphasizes the urgency of tackling these threats to benefit both ecosystems and humans.

COP-16 was suspended on the morning of 2 November with key decisions still pending, including agreements on monitoring the progress of the GBF and finalizing resource mobilization efforts, such as establishing a dedicated biodiversity fund. The UN Biodiversity COP is expected to resume at a later date and venue to address these remaining agenda items. Despite the pause, COP-16 made significant strides toward the achievement of the 23 targets set for 2030 under the GBF, including to further strengthen linkages with the work of other Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) such as the Minamata Convention.

Highlighting mercury pollution as a threat to biodiversity

At COP16, the Minamata Convention Executive Secretary underlined the harmful effects of mercury pollution on biodiversity. 

"The Minamata Convention is unique as the only multilateral environmental agreement that regulates a section of gold mining. As much as 20% of the gold on the market is produced outside formalized channels, with significant reliance on mercury—a pollutant with severe implications for human health and biodiversity," Stankiewicz stated.

"Tackling this issue is essential as we advance across both the pollution and biodiversity agendas," she added. 

Stankiewicz also stressed the importance of a whole-of-society approach, building new partnerships and bringing them into the Minamata Convention's work.

Events co-organized by the Minamata Convention Secretariat

• Forest and Water Day: This whole-day event focused on the conservation and sustainable use of forests and water-related ecosystems. The Secretariat of the Minamata Convention led a session on the importance of stakeholder engagement for the effective and sustainable management of water-related ecosystems. Two panels under this session focused on the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, which are at the core of the GBF.
• COP-16 side event:  the role of chemicals and waste in protecting biodiversity: The Secretariat of the Minamata Convention, in collaboration with the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, led a discussion on the sound management of chemicals and waste to halt biodiversity loss. This side event underlined that integrated approaches should be embraced in chemical management across the environmental conventions.

Events and key discussions where the Minamata Convention Secretariat contributed

• Cooperation Day: The Secretariat joined other MEAs, UN organizations and other stakeholders on Cooperation Day to enhance collaboration between conventions concerning issues of common interest in biodiversity and pollution. It was emphasized on this day that there was a need for a united approach and actions among the different MEAs in order to ensure the protection of the environment and also find solutions to the common challenges, including mercury pollution.
• COP-16 side event: Global commitment to an international agreement on mineral supply chain traceability: The Minamata Convention Secretariat contributed to a dialogue related to traceability in mineral supply chains under a Colombian-led initiative. The use of mercury in gold mining and its impacts on people and nature were among the topics discussed. Speakers shared ways to promote responsible sourcing and the reduction of mercury use in mining-a practice most hazardous for both biodiversity and human health.
• Dialogue with the Minamata Convention Secretariat: Mercury contamination in the Amazon Basin: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) held an in-person dialogue to address mercury pollution in the Amazon and promote biodiversity conservation through a human rights perspective. Representatives from civil society in Colombia, Brazil, and Peru shared their experiences and explored joint actions to combat mercury pollution, protect biodiversity, and uphold human rights, aligning with the GBF. The Minamata Convention Secretariat highlighted its efforts, particularly concerning Indigenous Peoples, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), and vulnerable ecosystems.

Building a global response to mercury pollution

The Minamata Convention Secretariat came out of COP16 with strengthened alliances and a heightened resolve to address the threat of mercury pollution, especially in critical biodiversity hotspots such as the Amazon region.

"Multilateral Environmental Agreements can and should speak with one voice on issues that affect us all, focusing on the people who are disproportionately impacted by biodiversity loss and pollution, including mercury pollution," Stankiewicz said. 

The fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP-5) in November 2023 acknowledged mercury pollution as a direct driver of global biodiversity loss and recognized the opportunities for the implementation of both the Minamata Convention and the GBF in a mutually supportive way. COP-5 called for the integration of mercury action into biodiversity projects, the promotion of research on mercury's impact, and the alignment of mercury reduction in national strategies with the GBF. It also noted the absence of indicators for highly hazardous chemicals in the Kunming-Montreal's monitoring framework and invited CBD COP to consider such indicators and encouraged information dissemination and improved coherence among environmental agreements.

Furthermore, COP-5 adopted a decision on the effects of mercury pollution on Indigenous People and on local communities in the implementation of projects and programmes undertaken under the Convention, recalling the relevance of their engagement in the work to reduce and eliminate mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). In a separate decision on ASGM, the COP encouraged Parties and stakeholders to protect and strengthen traditional livelihoods and cultural practices, and called for further actions in the development and implementation of National Action Plans.

Photo by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis