Driven by global scientific consensus that mercury causes brain damage, severe illnesses and birth defects, the Minamata Convention on Mercury was adopted in 2013 and governments committed themselves to eradicating its use globally. Yet, ten years later, mercury remains a problem around the world. When parties to the Minamata Convention convened for the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP), they discussed further actions that will help make the promise of this treaty a reality.

More specifically, the COP considered the recommendations of its Implementation and Compliance Committee (ICC) on action regarding mercury supply sources and trade, and related matters. Parties have now completed and submitted their first full national reports, which cover issues relating to informal mercury mining, identification of individual stocks, excess mercury based on decommissioning of chlor-alkali facilities, use of trade forms, and illegal trade in mercury. Under the Convention, parties have agreed to provide national reports every four years. This COP discussed possible actions based on analysis of findings from the first round of national reporting. Parties also considered how the reporting framework could be strengthened.

COP-5 confirmed ten members of the Governing Board of the Specific International Program to support Capacity Building and Technical Assistance (SIP). The SIP is part of the Convention’s financial mechanism and operates in tandem with the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund. The financial mechanism was reviewed at this meeting.

COP-5 also addressed parties’ action on artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), thresholds for mercury waste, and ongoing work toward the first effectiveness evaluation of the Convention. Parties also considered how implementation of the Convention can support the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity in December 2022.

Online side events took place during the week of 9 October 2023.

COP-5 took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 30 October to 3 November 2023. Delegates celebrated 10 years since the Convention was opened for signature. The Convention currently has 147 parties.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) writers for this meeting were Delia Paul; Keith Ripley; and Denise Young. The Digital Editor was Natalia Mroz. The Editor was Pam Chasek, Ph.D.