Summary
INC7 delegates convened in plenary on Saturday morning to address issues related to reporting (Article 21) and effectiveness evaluation (Article 22). In his introductory remarks, Chair Lugris announced that Zambia had become the latest country to ratify the Minamata Convention, bringing the total number of ratifications to 24.
Plenary was suspended in the afternoon to allow delegates to work in contact groups to address issues including technical matters, finance and rules.
In the evening, delegates attended a reception hosted by the Government of Switzerland. Chair Lugris instructed delegates to use the time to continue informal consultations on a range of issues to be addressed in the remaining three days of the meeting.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, is providing daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the 7th session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Mercury (INC 7).
The summary and analysis report is available in HTML and PDF formats.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page.
Morning Plenary
View of the dais during the morning plenary
Sheila Logan, interim secretariat of the Minamata Convention
Fernando Lugris, Uruguay, INC Chair
Finance Contact Group Co-Chair
Gillian Guthrie, Jamaica
Technical Matters Contact Group Co-Chair Leticia Reis de Carvalho, Brazil
John Roberts, UK, Co-Facilitator of the Best Available Technologies/ Best Environmental Practices (BAT/BEP) Informal Group
Agustina Camilli, Uruguay
Eirik Hovland Steindal, Norway
Ndey Sireng Bakurin, the Gambia
David Kapindula, Zambia, speaking on behalf of the African Group
Christopher Allen, EU
Iftikhar-ul-Hassan Gilani, Pakistan
Virginia Poter, Canada
Mariano Castro, Peru
Rochelle Diver, IPEN
Bettina Hitzfeld, Switzerland
Contact Group on Rules and Procedures
Contact Group on Rules and Procedures
Contact Group Co-Chair Andrew McNee, Australia
Silvia Maciunas, Canada
Felix Wertli, Switzerland
Jill Hanna, EU
Christopher Taylor, UNEP
Contact Group on Technical Matters
Contact Group on Technical Matters
Silje Fagernes Johannessen, Norway
Laura Juliana, Colombia
Contact Group Co-Chair Kateřina Šebková, Czech Republic
Karissa Kouner, USA
Abdullah K. Tawlah, Saudi Arabia
Contact Group on Finance
View of the dais during the Contact Group on Finance
Contact Group Co-Chair Gregor Filyk, Canada
Obed Baloyi, South Africa
O. O. Dada, Nigeria
Heidar Ali Balouji, Iran
Informal consultations on Article 8 (emissions)
Around the Venue
Stockholm Convention President Sam Adu-Kumi, Ghana; Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions; Rotterdam Convention President Franz Perrez, Switzerland; and Basel Convention
President Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan, sit beneath a Bedouin tent at the venue
Delegates gather before the start of plenary
Delegates from Indonesia
Frankie Everitt and Jean Le Roux, New Zealand
Paulina Riquelme Pallamar, Chile
Jacob Duer and Sheila Logan, interim
secretariat of the Minamata Convention
Delegates from Saudi Arabia and Jordan
Delegates meet informally
Displays around the venue
A local Jordanian artist creates traditional sand art
View of the Dead Sea with the Judean Desert in the distance
Reception hosted by the Government of Switzerland
Delegates enjoy a reception hosted by the Government of Switzerland
