Daily Report ｜

EN ( HTML | PDF )

FR ( HTML | PDF )

Summary Highlights: 19 - 23 November 2018

Highlights for Friday, 23 November 2018

The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP2) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury convened for a final day on Friday, 23 November 2018. In the morning, delegates heard reports from the contact groups on effectiveness evaluation, technical issues, and budget; and from the Friends of the President group dealing with outstanding issues, including the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

COP2 President Marc Chardonnens (Switzerland) then opened discussions on the review of the financial mechanism. Delegates voted to reverse the decision taken on this issue on Tuesday, and then referred further discussion on this item to COP3.

By 6:00 pm, delegates adopted decisions on:

• capacity building, technical assistance and technology transfer;
• releases;
• waste thresholds;
• Harmonized Customs codes;
• date and venue of COP3;
• effectiveness evaluation;
• secretariat arrangements;
• environmentally sound interim storage of mercury other than mercury waste; and
• contaminated sites.

The contact group on budget and programme of work continued to work to complete its work.

Delegates adopted the budget and programme of work for 2019 in the evening.

After closing remarks by Rossana Silva Repetto, Executive Secretary, Minamata Convention, President Chardonnens gaveled the meeting to a close at 8:08 pm.

Highlights for Thursday, 22 October 2018

The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP2) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury met on Thursday, 22 November 2018. Delegates heard reports from contact groups in the morning, and adopted the rules of procedure for the Implementation and Compliance Committee in a brief plenary. They then met in contact groups throughout the day to consider:

• technical issues, including contaminated sites, interim storage, and harmonized customs codes;
• effectiveness evaluation;
• institutional issues pertaining to Secretariat arrangements; and
• budget and programme of work.

A Friends of the President group on other outstanding issues also met during the day.

In an evening plenary, the COP elected officers to the COP3 Bureau, and heard reports from contact groups.

For more details on the day’s events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB).

Highlights for Wednesday, 21 October 2018

The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP2) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury met on Wednesday, 21 November 2018. Delegates spent the day addressing, inter alia:

• financial rules;
• capacity building, technical assistance and technology transfer;
• review of annexes A and B of the Convention;
• harmonized customs codes;
• compliance; and
• cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Contact groups on technical and institutional issues, effectiveness evaluation and budget also met at various points throughout the day and into the evening.

For more details on the day’s events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB).

Highlights for Tuesday, 20 November 2018

The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP2) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury met for a second day on Tuesday, 20 November 2018. Delegates met in plenary and in contact groups, and discussed:

• technical matters, specifically mercury waste, interim storage, releases and contaminated sites;
• institutional issues regarding the secretariat;
• budget and programme of work;
• effectiveness evaluation;
• open burning; and
• financial rules.

For more details on the day’s events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB).

Highlights for Tuesday, 19 November 2018

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).