The Second Meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) to Review and Assess Measures to Address the Global Issue of Mercury convened for its second day on Tuesday, 7 October, at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Delegates met in plenary throughout the day and considered common elements of a mercury framework (UNEP (DTIE)/Hg/OEWG.2/8). During the morning, delegates considered the document section-by-section and focused their attention on specific actions to address the challenges posed by mercury. While most delegates highlighted the importance of addressing supply, some favored focusing on actions to reduce mercury demand.
During the afternoon, delegates focused on actions related to the international trade in mercury. Some delegates suggested that the issue of trade would be more appropriately dealt with under the World Trade Organization, but most asserted that an element addressing trade was an integral part of a mercury framework. Delegates agreed to return to this discussion on Wednesday.
In the afternoon, the Secretariat introduced a chapeau for the framework paper. Delegates agreed on several amendments and the Secretariat agreed to prepare a revised version containing the amendments, by Wednesday morning.
