Summary
The first Conference of the Parties (COP1) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, under the theme “Make Mercury History,” began on Sunday, 24 September and is scheduled to conclude on Friday, 29 September 2017, in Geneva, Switzerland. During a brief opening ceremony, delegates heard opening speeches from Marc Chardonnens, Director, Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), Switzerland, and Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Director, UN Environment.
Delegates then convened in a plenary to address organizational matters, including election of officers, rules of procedure, and the appointment of a credentials committee. Delegates then established a Committee of the Whole (COW) chaired by Fernando Lugris, Uruguay.
After a round of general statements, the COP engaged in discussions on provisionally adopted guidance documents related to supply sources and trade, exemptions for phase-out dates, and emissions.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports for COP1. The summary and analysis is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
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Opening Plenary
Musicians welcome delegates to the first day of COP1
Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UN Environment
Marc Chardonnens, Director, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland
Jacob Duer, Principal Coordinator, Interim Secretariat of the Minamata Convention
Marc Chardonnens, Director, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland, is welcomed onto the podium after being elected COP1 President
Fernando Lugris, Uruguay, is elected Chair for the Committee of the Whole (CoW)
Philip Weech, the Bahamas, speaking on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Babajide Alo, Nigeria
Kaupo Heinma, EU
Mick Saito, Japan, speaking on behalf of the Asia-Pacific Region
Charles Brown, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry
Margaret Kaemba, Zambia, speaking on behalf of the African Group
Vladimir Lenev, Russian Federation
Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions
M.R. Karliansyah, Indonesia
Shinobu Sakamoto, a woman living with fetal Minamata disease, speaks on behalf of the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) and the Zero Mercury Working Group
Around the Venue
Delegates meet informally before the start of the opening plenary
Gregor Filyk, Canada
The mercury drop on display outside the Palais des Nations
A young boy admires the inside of the mercury drop
