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First Meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on Mercury
12 - 16 November 2007 | Bangkok, Thailand.
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Web coverage:
Monday, 12 Nov | Tuesday, 13 Nov | Wednesday, 14 Nov | Thursday, 15 Nov | Friday, 16 Nov
The First 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, 13 November, at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand.
During the morning plenary delegates heard a brief presentation from the Secretariat on the legal aspects and practicalities of adopting a mercury protocol to the Stockholm Convention. Delegates then focused their attention on exploring voluntary approaches to the global issue of mercury. Whilst some delegates highlighted the potential to address mercury under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), others stressed that SAICM lacks a financial mechanism or resources to support the implementation of SAICM and favored the development of a legally-binding approach.
Delegates established a contact group to review available response measures to address mercury releases from coal emissions and industrial processes and the contact group met concurrently with the afternoon plenary.
During the afternoon plenary, delegates addressed the issue of mercury emissions from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASM) and also discussed reducing the use of mercury in ASM. Discussion focused on appropriate response measures to address mercury in this informal, unregulated and, in some cases, illegal sector, with many participants suggesting that the issue could be addressed through addressing mercury supply.
In the late afternoon, delegates considered the issue of mercury supply. Whilst there was broad agreement on the need to phase out the mining of virgin mercury, delegates’ views were divergent on the need to phase out and ban international trade in elemental mercury. Delegates agreed to continue the discussion in plenary on Wednesday.
NGO delegates in the plenary room. |
Display in the conference center. |
Side event on Mercury cell chlor alkali production. | Delegates and ENB writer utilizing the lunch break to exchange views. |
Delegates conversing outside the plenary room. |
Web coverage:
Monday, 12 Nov | Tuesday, 13 Nov | Wednesday, 14 Nov | Thursday, 15 Nov | Friday, 16 Nov
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