The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. This Convention was a result of three years of meeting and negotiating, after which the text of...
The Convention was enacted and implemented in earnest in January 2013. In general, the Minamata convention is a broad document that concerns itself with many aspects of the problem of mercury in the global environment.
The Minamata Convention requires that party nations: Reduce and where feasible eliminate the use and release of mercury from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM).
"Minamata Convention Agreed by Nations". United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved 27 October 2014. ^ China has also declared that the convention will be extended to cover both Hong Kong and Macau. ^ "Zimbabwe Bans Use of Mercury in Mining, Herald Says". msn.com. Bloomberg. 29 December 2020.
The Convention entered into force in 2017, and the first Conference of the Parties (COP1)Exit Exit EPA website took place September 24 - 29, 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland. One hundred and twenty-three countries have joined the Convention as of September 2020.
Delegates successfully completed the negotiation of a new global treaty on mercury: the Minamata Convention on Mercury. More than 750 participants attended the session, representing 137 governments as well as 57 non-governmental and 14 intergovernmental organizations.
The Minamata Convention, in force since August 2017, was adopted at the 2013 Plenipotentiary Conference in Kumamoto, Japan. The aim of this global treaty is to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic and other releases of mercury and mercury compounds.
Party Profiles MenuParticipantSignatureDateIndia30/09/201418/06/2018Indonesia10/10/201322/09/2017Iran (Islamic Republic of)10/10/201316/06/2017Iraq10/10/201316/09/2021127 more rows
India is a party to the Minamata Convention and ratified it in 2018.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global, legally binding treaty, which was adopted in 2013 and entered into force on 16 August 2017.
105 ratificationsThe Minamata Convention now has 105 Parties and 128 Signatories. 1 March 2019: The Minamata Convention on Mercury has reached 105 ratifications. The Marshall Islands, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia and Uganda have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession between January and March 2019.
Medical Definition of Minamata disease : a toxic neuropathy caused by the ingestion of methylmercury compounds (as in contaminated seafood) and characterized by impairment of cerebral functions, constriction of the visual field, and progressive weakening of muscles.
Minamata disease is a methylmercury poisoning with neurological symptoms and caused by the daily consump- tion of large quantities of fish and shellfish that were heavily contaminated with the toxic chemical generated in chemical factories and then discharged into the sea.
Australia ratified the Minamata Convention on 7 December 2021. The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international treaty that seeks to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic (caused by humans) emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.
Minamata disease was first discovered in the city of Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, in 1956, hence its name....Minamata diseaseDurationChronicCausesSevere mercury poisoningRisk factorsAffected those who consumed fish and shellfish from Minamata BayDiagnostic methodSee mercury poisoning11 more rows
The Vienna Convention states that "[e]very treaty in force is binding upon the parties to it and must be performed by them in good faith." Both the binding force of treaties (pacta sunt servanda) and the affirmative obligation of good faith are equally present in customary international law.
History of the Minamata Convention. On November 6, 2013 the United States signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury . In addition to signing, the United States deposited its Instrument of Acceptance to become a party to the Convention. EPA worked closely with the State Department and other federal agencies in the negotiation of this agreement.
The wastewater contained methylmercury, which bioaccumulated in fish and shellfish in the bay. Local people who consumed seafood from Minamata Bay became very sick, and many died or were left severely disabled. The text of the Minamata Convention (PDF) (71 pp, 434 K, About PDF) was adopted by delegates from over 140 countries on January 19, 2013, ...
The Minamata Convention requires that party nations: 1 Reduce and where feasible eliminate the use and release of mercury from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). 2 Control mercury air emissions from coal-fired power plants, coal-fired industrial boilers, certain non-ferrous metals production operations, waste incineration and cement production. 3 Phase-out or take measures to reduce mercury use in certain products such as batteries, switches, lights, cosmetics, pesticides and measuring devices, and create initiatives to reduce the use of mercury in dental amalgam. 4 Phase out or reduce the use of mercury in manufacturing processes such as chlor-alkali production, vinyl chloride monomer production, and acetaldehyde production. 5 In addition, the Convention addresses the supply and trade of mercury; safer storage and disposal, and strategies to address contaminated sites. 6 The Convention includes provisions for technical assistance, information exchange, public awareness, and research and monitoring. It also requires Parties to report on measures taken to implement certain provisions. The Convention will be periodically evaluated to assess its effectiveness at meeting its objective of protecting human health and the environment from mercury pollution.
Delegates assemble at plenary session of first intergovernmental negotiating committee meeting in Stockholm, Sweden in June 2010. Photo Credit: Carl Mazza.
The Minamata Convention is named after the Japanese city of Minamata, which experienced a severe, decades-long incidence of mercury poisoning after industrial wastewater from a chemical factory was discharged into Minamata Bay. The wastewater contained methylmercury, which bioaccumulated in fish and shellfish in the bay. Local people who consumed seafood from Minamata Bay became very sick, and many died or were left severely disabled.
On 13 December 2021, Spain deposited its instrument of ratification successfully, becoming as a result the 137th Party to the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
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."
That milestone was reached on 18 May 2017, allowing the Convention to enter into force on 16 August 2017 and the holding of the first meeting of its Conference of the Parties from 24 to 29 September 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Conference of the Parties will meet yearly for the first three years.
A “ Mercury Club ” was established to recognize support to the negotiating process for the legally binding instrument on mercury.
Following the conclusion of the negotiations at the fifth session of the intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC5), the text was adopted and opened for signature at a Diplomatic Conference (Conference of Plenipotentiaries), held in Kumamoto, Japan, from 10 to 11 October 2013, with a ceremonial opening in Minamata on 9 October 2013. The Diplomatic Conference was preceded by a Preparatory Meeting from 7 to 8 October 2013 in Kumamoto.