January 28th, 2011
IISD Reporting Services – During the morning plenary, delegates completed their first reading of the elements paper (UNEP(DTIE)/Hg/INC.2/3), focusing on institutional arrangements, settlement of disputes, further development of the convention and final provisions.
In the afternoon delegates heard brief oral reports of informal consultations on: the preamble (Article 3); primary mining (Article 3); products, processes and transitional measures (Articles 7, 8 and 14); financial resources and technical and implementation assistance (Articles 15, 16 ans 17); and awareness-raising, research and monitoring and communication of information (Articles 18 and 19).
Delegates then considered the draft report (UNEP(DTIE)/Hg/INC.2/L.1, Add.1 and Add.2) and it was adopted following numerous textual amendments. Chair Lugris gavelled the meeting to a close at 6:17pm.
A summary and analysis of INC2 will be available on this page on Monday, 31 January 2011.
January 27th, 2011
IISD Reporting Services – During the morning plenary, delegates continued discussions of the elements paper (UNEP(DTIE)/Hg/INC.2/3), focusing on measures to reduce releases of mercury to air, water and land: Article 10, atmospheric emissions; and Article 11, releases to water and land. A contact group on emissions, co-chaired by Wijarn Simayacha (Thailand) and John Roberts (UK) was mandated to continue discussions on the issue.
In the afternoon delegates then turned their attention to financial resources and technical and implementation assistance: Article 15, financial resources and mechanisms; Article 16, technical assistance; and Article 17, implementation committee. Delegates then considered awareness-raising, research and monitoring and communication of information, focusing on: Article 18, information exchange, Article 19, public information, awareness and education; Article 20, research development and monitoring; Article 21, implementation plans; Article 22, reporting; and Article 23, effectiveness evaluation.
January 26th, 2011
IISD Reporting Services – During the morning plenary, delegates heard reports back from storage and waste contact group Co-Chair Katerina Sebkova (Czech Republic), and from ASGM contact group Co-Chair Felipe Ferreira (Brazil). Both contact groups were mandated to continue their work.
Delegates continued discussion on the elements paper (UNEP(DTIE)/Hg/INC.2/3) beginning with Article 5, on international trade with parties in mercury or mercury compounds and Article 6, and on international trade with non-parties in mercury or mercury compounds. Delegates then considered measures to reduce intentional use of mercury, discussing Article 7, mercury-added products, Article 8, manufacturing processes in which mercury is used, and Article 14, allowable-use exemptions, as a cluster of interlinked issues.
In the late afternoon delegates turned their attention to measures to reduce releases of mercury to air, water and land: Article 10, atmospheric emissions; and Article 11, releases to water and land.
January 26th, 2011
Remember, the abstract submission deadline for the 10th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant (ICMGP) in Halifax, Nova Scotia is midnight (23:59 AST) on February 15, 2011
January 26th, 2011
Mercury INC 2 convened for its second day on Tuesday 25 January, 2011, in Chiba, Japan.
During the morning plenary, delegates initiated discussion on the elements paper (UNEP(DTIE)/Hg/INC.2/3) offering comments element-by-element. Throughout the morning and afternoon delegates made interventions on: Article 1, Objective; Article 2, Definitions; and Article 3, Mercury supply sources. Due to their close relationship: Article 4, environmentally sound storage; Article 12, mercury wastes; and Article 13, contaminated sites, were grouped and addressed as a cluster. Delegates then discussed Article 9, artisanal and small scale gold mining (ASGM).
Delegates established two contact groups which met in the evening. The contact group on the storage and waste cluster was co-chaired by Katerina Sebkova (Czech Republic) and Abiola Olanipekun (Nigeria). The contact group on ASGM was co-chaired by Donald Hannah (New Zealand) and Felipe Ferreira (Brazil).
January 26th, 2011
The IISD Reporting Services has provided a summary of highlights for Monday, 24 January 2011. Please visit their webpage to obtain coverage of INC2.
January 26th, 2011
The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to prepare a global legally binding instrument on Mercury (INC2) is currently underwat in Chiba, Japan from 24 to 28 January, 2011. See the UNEP Mercury website for technical briefing and meeting documents.
