Summary
Delegates attending the first Conference of the Parties (COP1) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury met in a brief session of the Committee of the Whole (COW) on Wednesday morning. Contact groups on reporting, the financial mechanism, programme of work and budget, and technical issues convened thereafter.
Friends of the Chair on secretariat functions continued to convene in bilateral meetings throughout the day.
Delegates also engaged in a thematic dialogue on water during the lunch break.
During the COW session, delegates recognized Rwanda for becoming a decision-making party, having ratified the Convention in June.
In the evening, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) premiered their movie “Make Mercury History.”
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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Morning Session - Committee of the Whole (COW)
View of the dais during the morning session
Gregor Filyk, Canada, Co-Chair of the Financial Mechanism Contact Group
Fernando Lugris, Uruguay, COW Chair
María Florencia Grimalt, Argentina
Jacob Duer, Principal Coordinator, Interim Secretariat of the Minamata Convention
Karissa Kovner, US, Co-Chair of the Technical Issues Contact Group
David Kapindula, Zambia, Co-Chair of the Reporting Contact Group
Rwanda changes its placard after having ratified the Convention
Contact Groups Throughout the Day
Contact Group on Reporting
Contact Group on Programme of Work and Budget
Contact Group on the Financial Mechanism
Informal Consultations Throughout the Day
Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan, speaks with delegates
Delegates from Saudi Arabia
Delegates from the Russian Federation
A representative from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) speaks with delegates from Iran
Delegates from Switzerland, the Netherlands and Ghana
Andrew McNee, Australia
A delegate uses the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) to keep track of proceedings
Delegates from the Island Sustainability Alliance and Kiribati
Delegates from Iran and the US
Delegates from Kenya
Fernando Lugris, Uruguay, COW Chair, speaks with Sverre Thomas Jahre, Norway
Around the Venue
Fernando Lugris, Uruguay, COW Chair
Delegates from Turkey
Delegates from Indonesia
Delegates from Comoros
Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UN Environment, with Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions
David Simone, The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT)
Delegates from Ghana
Delegates from Namibia and Senegal
Delegates take photos with balls of mercury in an interactive booth hosted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP)
