Minamata Convention

Global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury

The Mercury Convention was agreed at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, on 19 January 2013. The Convention entered into force on 16 August 2017. The first Conference of the Parties (COP) took place in September 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Convention draws attention to a global and ubiquitous metal that, while naturally occurring, has broad uses in everyday objects and is released to the atmosphere, soil and water from a variety of sources.

Some key-elements of the Mercury Convention are:

• Ban on new mercury mines
• Phase-out of existing mercury mines
• Control measures on air emissions
• International regulation of the informal sector for artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM)

Controlling the anthropogenic releases of mercury throughout its lifecycle has been a key factor in shaping the obligations under the convention.