Highlights and images for 25 March 2022

COP-4 President, Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, Indonesia, hands over the 'Minamata dolls' to the incoming COP-5 President Claudia Dumitru, Romania

As Minamata COP-4.2 draws to a close, COP-4 President, Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, Indonesia, hands over the 'Minamata dolls' to the incoming COP-5 President Claudia Dumitru, Romania

The fifth and final day of the resumed fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP-4.2) alternated between plenary sessions, resumed contact group sessions, and bilateral consultations in an effort to conclude agreement on all topics.

At noon, the plenary convened to hear progress reports from contact groups, elect members of the Bureau, Implementation and Compliance Committee (ICC) and the Governing Body of the Special International Programme on capacity building and technical assistance (SIP), and agree on a date and venue for COP-5. Claudia Dumitru, Romania, was elected COP-5 President. COP-5 was tentatively set for 28 October – 4 November 2023 in Geneva, depending on availability of the venue.

Delegates huddle during the final negotiations

Delegates huddle during the final hours of negotiations

Plenary resumed in the evening, and met until the wee hours of Saturday. By the time COP-4.2 gaveled to a close, decisions were adopted on the following items:

National reporting;
Enhanced cooperation between the Secretariats of the Minamata Convention and the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions;
The terms of reference for the next review of the financial mechanism;
Updated guidance for preparing national action plans regarding mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM);
Gender mainstreaming in Minamata Convention activities;
International cooperation;
Guidance for methodology for preparing national inventories of mercury releases;
Waste thresholds;
Effectiveness evaluation;
Review and amendment of Annexes A and B; and
Budget and Programme of Work.

John Whitelaw, Minamata Secretariat, speaks with Mohsen Naziri Asl, Iran

President Ratnawati closed the meeting at 5:21 am Saturday 26 March.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin summary and analysis of this meeting will be available on Monday, 28 March 2022, on this webpage.

Fifth day of the Minamata Convention on Mercury COP 4.2 (25 March 2022)

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All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For Minamata COP-4.2, please use: Photo by IISD/ENB Kiara Worth.

Morning Plenary

Delegates during the morning plenary

COP-4 President, Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, Indonesia

Co-Chair of the Contact Group on Programme of Work and Budget Reginald Hernaus, the Netherlands

Naresh Pal Gangwar, India

Marie-Claire Lhenry, EU

A delegate photographs the names of the bureau nominations

Delegates applaud the election of the new bureau

Contact Groups

Contact Group on Waste Thresholds

Co-Chairs for the Contact Group on Waste Thresholds Karissa Kovner, US, and Teeraporn Wiriwutikorn, Thailand

A delegate refers to the Minamata Convention during the negotiations

Delegates raise their hand to make an intervention

Delegates during the Contact Group on Effectiveness Evaluation

Co-Chairs for the Contact Group on Effectiveness Evaluation Agustin Harte, Argentina, and Rodges Ankrah, US

Delegates during the contact groups

Delegates from Africa consult

Delegates from Europe consult

Minamata Bureau Meeting

The incoming and outgoing Minamata Bureau Members gather on the final day

COP-4 President, Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, Indonesia

Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary, Minamata Convention

The Minamata dolls, made of reclaimed wood from Minamata Bay, represent an adult and child suffering from Minamata disease. The dolls have no faces, no ears, eyes or nose, meant to symbolize that the work is incomplete, and much remains to be done under the Minamata Convention.

Incoming COP-5 President Claudia Dumitru, Romania

Incoming COP-5 President Claudia Dumitru, Romania, COP-4 President Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, Indonesia, and Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary, Minamata Convention

Minamata Bureau family photo

Closing Plenary

View of the dais during closing plenary

COP-4 Rapporteur Angela Patricia Rivera Galvis, Colombia

Christopher Kanema, Zambia

Roger Baro, Burkina Faso, on behalf of the African Group

Monica Isaza Bordamalo, Colombia, on behalf of the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC)

Francisca Klaasen, Chile

Dominique Bally Kpokro, on behalf of NGOs

Delegates are exhausted as negotiations go beyond 4am

Michel Tschirren, Switzerland

Mohsen Naziri Asl, Iran

COP-4 President, Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, Indonesia, hits the gavel as various decisions are adopted

Delegates applaud as decisions are adopted

Around the Venue

The IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) team covering Minamata COP-4.2: Ben Crowe, UK; Nadia Sohier Zaman, Canada; Keith Ripley, US; and Kiara Worth, South Africa. Joining virtually: Delia Paul, Malaysia/Australia.