Mercury INC 1 convened for its first day on Monday, 7 June 2010, in Stockholm, Sweden.

During the opening plenary, delegates heard welcoming addresses from UN Environment Programme Deputy Executive Director Angela Cropper, and Sweden’s Minister for the Environment, Andreas Carlgren. Both highlighted the historical significance of the INC process to develop a legally-binding instrument on mercury.

In a round of opening statements, countries outlined their expectations for the INC process.

During the late afternoon, delegates began their substantive discussions on the instrument. Initial views were exchanged on the objectives of the instrument, and the discussion will be continued on Tuesday.