Summary
On Tuesday, delegates to INC7 convened in plenary in the morning to hear reports from the Co-Chairs of the contact groups on rules, finance, reporting and effectiveness evaluation, and technical issues. The contact group on reporting then met in parallel to plenary and the informal group on emissions met during lunch to continue work.
In the afternoon, delegates reconvened in plenary to continue discussions of issues including wastes, emissions and contaminated sites. Delegates also addressed other business, including the report of the interim secretariat on its activities.
Taher Shakashir, Minister of Environment, Jordan, offered a closing address in which he hailed the efforts of delegates and wished them well in their future negotiations. Chair Lugris thanked participants for their hard work and gaveled the meeting to a close at 6:22 pm.
Please return to this site on Friday, 18 March for the Earth Negotiations Bulletin summary and analysis of INC7.
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
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Morning Plenary
View of the dais during the morning plenary
Fernando Lugris, Uruguay, INC Chair
Reporting Contact Group Co-Chair David Kapindula, Zambia
Technical Matters Contact Group
Co-Chair Kateřina Šebková, Czech Republic
Finance Contact Group Co-Chair
Gregor Filyk, Canada
Rules Contact Group Co-Chair
Andrew McNee, Australia
Finance Contact Group Co-Chair Gillian Guthrie, Jamaica
John Roberts, UK, Co-Facilitator of the Best Available Technologies/ Best Environmental Practices (BAT/BEP) Informal Group
The Secretariat applauds the work completed by INC7
Achim Halpaap, UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
Rodica Ella Ivan, UN Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO)
Usman Tariq, UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Carolyn Vickers, World Health
Organisation (WHO)
Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions
Sani Mahazou, Niger
Kasper Koefoed Hansen, UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Reginald Hernaus, EU
Boiyan Kpakolo, Liberia
Dwayne Curtis, Bahamas
Elena Lymberidi-Settimo,
Zero Mercury Working Group
Lee Bell, IPEN
Mahmood Khwaja, Sustainable Development Policy Institute
Contact Group on Reporting
View of the dais for the Contact Group on Reporting
Christopher Allen, EU
Iftikhar-ul-Hassan Gilani, Pakistan
Eirik Hovland Steindal, Norway
Contact Group Co-Chair
Silvija Kalniņš, Latvia
Paulina Riquelme Pallamar, Chile
Closing Plenary
Delegates gather for the closing plenary
Taher Shakhashir, Minister of Environment, Jordan
Raouf Al Dabbas, Ministry of Environment, Jordan
Peter Ayuk Enoh, Cameroon
Mick Saito, Japan
Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan
Francis Kihumba, Kenya
Lamya Aljorephani, Kuwait
Sam Adu-Kumi, Ghana
L-R: Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan; Shan Tse, Jordan; Raouf Al Dabbas, Jordan; Taher Shakhashir, Minister of Environment, Jordan; and Hana Shihabi, Jordan
Andrei Pilipchuk, Belarus
Shruti Rai Bhardwaj, India
Franz Perrez, Switzerland
Renato Cruz, the Philippines
Sezaneh Seymour, US
Idris Adamu Goji, Nigeria
Jianhong Meng, China
The meeting is gaveled to a close
The INC7 family
Around the Venue
Delegates from Tunisia
John Whitelaw, UNEP, speaks with Gabi Eigenmann, Switzerland
Delegates meet informally
A delegate tests out a 'hover board'
Abdullah K. Tawlah and Abdullah Al Ghalbi, Saudi Arabia
Bureau of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee
Delegates from GRULAC with the INC7 Chair
Delegates from Spain
Delegates from South Africa
Delegates from Viet Nam
Delegates from Jordan
Marcus Richards, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
with Franklyn Connor, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) team covering INC7 (L-R): Kiara Worth; Brett Wertz; Jen Allan; Jessica Templeton; Annelies van Gaalen; Delia Paul; and Tallash Kantai