Highlights and images for 29 November 2019

Plenary stands to chant "Make Mercury History" as the conference comes to a close.

The fifth and final day of the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury convened in a series of plenary sessions throughout the day. Delegates had worked in Contact Groups throughout Thursday night and into the early morning hours on Friday, in order to reach agreement on the COP3 decisions. On Friday, the COP alternated between plenary sessions, resumed Contact Group sessions, and bilateral consultations in an effort to conclude agreement on all topics. By the closing gavel for COP3, decisions had been adopted on the following items:

Customs codes;
Cooperation between the Secretariats of the Minamata Convention and the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions;
Review of Annexes A & B (respectively, mercury-added products and processes using mercury or mercury compounds);
Guidance for completing the national reporting format;
Capacity building, technical assistance and technology transfer;
Releases;
Terms of reference (TOR) for the Implementation and Compliance Committee (ICC);
Guidance on the management of contaminated sites;
Review of the financial mechanism;
Waste thresholds;
Amendment of Annex A (dental amalgam);
Effectiveness evaluation; and
Programme of Work and Budget.

In addition, decisions on elections to the Bureau, the ICC, and Specific International Programme to Support Capacity Building and Technical Assistance (SIP) Governing Board were adopted. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director was asked to assess possible options for enhancing the SIP and its operations. These decisions joined decisions on Review of the Financial Mechanism and Venue and Date of COP4, which were adopted earlier in the week, to comprise the COP’s marching orders for work under the Convention during the next two years.

During the closing plenary, the African Group expressed appreciation for progress made in some decisions but noted that Amendments to Annex A did not progress as they had wished. The EU expressed regret that the proposal on international cooperation was not adopted despite overwhelming support by parties. The Central and Eastern European Group applauded the “baby steps” made by the Convention and noted that there were bound to be challenges in the Convention’s early stages. The decisions on the approval of the ICC TOR and Cooperation between the Secretariats of the Minamata Convention and the BRS Conventions were welcomed by several speakers.

COP3 was gaveled to a close at 2:46 am on 30 November.

Plenary

Claudia ten Have, Minamata Convention Secretariat, sharing a light moment with Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan, before the morning plenary

Vladimir Lenev, Russian Federation conferring with US delegates

Elmi Obsieh Mohamed, Djibouti

Nina Cromnier (Sweden), Chair of Friends of the President Group

A view of the dais during the plenary

Silvija Kalnins (Latvia), Co-Chair of Technical Matters Contact Group

Reggie Hernaus (the Netherlands), Co-Chair of Programme of Work and Budget Contact Group

Valentina Sierra, Uruguay

Larke Williams, US

Serious deliberations during a plenary break

María Florencia Grimalt, Argentina, speaking with delegates from Brazil

Roxanne Blesam, Palau

Zhang Jieqing, China

Alison Dickson, Canada

Norwegian delegation

Nigerian delegation

Jorge Pedro Aznar, EU

Rapporteur Karel Blaha, Czech Republic

President of COP3, David Kapindula, Zambia, gavels the meeting to a close.

Contact Groups and Side Events

The Programme of Work and Budget Contact Group during discussions on Friday

Participants during the Technical Matters Contact Group

The Effectiveness Evaluation Contact Group continues discussions

Italo Flamenco Elsalvador, El Salvador, speaking during the side event: Launch of fourth round of applications for the Special Programme on institutional strengthening for chemicals and waste