The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP2) to the Minamata Convention opens in Geneva, Switzerland
The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP2) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury opened on Monday, 19 November 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland. Delegates met in plenary and heard opening statements, and addressed organizational matters.They began discussions on:
- mercury waste;
- the financial mechanism;
- effectiveness evaluation; and
- the secretariat.
The meeting also addressed the date and venue of the next COP, establishing a small “Friends of the President” group to discuss a proposal related to the hosting arrangements for COPs.For more details on the day’s events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB).
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from COP2.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Sean Wu
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Musicians welcoming the delegates before the opening plenary
President of COP2, Marc Chardonnens, Switzerland
Joyce Msuya, Deputy Director, UN Environment
Zhao Yingmin, Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment, China
Serge Molly Allo’o Allo’o, Gabon
Carla Serazzi, Chile
The dais during the opening plenary
Noluzuko Gwayi, South Africa and Wondwossen Wondemagegnehu, Africa Institute
Zena Kulialang Rengulbai, Palau
Joyce Msuya, Deputy Director, UN Environment; President of COP2, Marc Chardonnens, Switzerland; and Franz Perrez, Switzerland
Felix Wertli and Michel Tschirren, Switzerland
Kateřina Šebková, Czech Republic
Baghaei Hamaneh, Iran
Mick Saito, Japan, speaking with the Japan delegation
Claudia ten Have, Minamata Convention Secretariat
Delegates from the European Union
Katherine Weber, US
Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan
Gwen Goodier, Canada
The panelists at the plenary session
Susan Keane, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Charles Brown, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry
Delegates during the plenary session
Yingxian Xia, China
Stella Uchenna Mojekwu, Nigeria
Rossana Silva, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Mercury
Christopher Kanema, Zambia
Carolyn Vickers, World Health Organization (WHO)
Lee Martin Bell, Australia
Richard Gutierrez, Artisanal Gold Council
View of the dais during the afternoon plenary
Alejandro Laguna Lopez; Joyce Msuya, Deputy Director; Gaetano Leone; and Mijke Hertoghs, UNEP
Contact Groups
Contact Group on Effectiveness Evaluation
Contact Group on Technical Issues Including Waste
Around the Venue
