European Union

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 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 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

On Monday morning, INC7 delegates convened in plenary to hear reports from the contact groups on rules, reporting, finance and technical issues. Delegates then considered issues related to Article 24 on the functions and hosting of the permanent secretariat. Plenary was suspended in the afternoon to allow contact groups to meet throughout the rest of the day on issues including finance, rules, reporting and effectiveness evaluation, and technical issues. 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 Fernando Lugris, Uruguay, INC Chair Technical Matters Contact Group Co-Chair Leticia Reis de Carvalho, Brazil Finance Contact Group Co-Chair Gregor Filyk, Canada Reporting Contact Group Co-Chair Silvija Kalniņš, Latvia Rules Contact Group Co-Chair Andrew McNee, Australia John Roberts, UK, Co-Facilitator of the Best Available Technologies/ Best Environmental Practices (BAT/BEP) Informal Group Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions Francis Kihumba, Kenya Franz Perrez, Switzerland Mariano Castro, Peru Vladimir Lenev, Russian Federation Luay Al Mukhtar, Iraq Reginald Hernaus, EU Genoveva Campos Gil, Venezuela Haddijatou Jallow, Sierra Leone Andrea Jones Bennett, Jamaica Martha Sentí Darías, Cuba Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan Jianhong Meng, China Issam Qasem, Palestine Contact Group on Finance Contact Group on Finance Contact Group Co-Chair Gillian Guthrie, Jamaica Gabi Eigenmann, Switzerland Sun Yangzhao, China Jorge Peydro Aznar, EU Obed Baloyi, South Africa Contact Group on Technical Matters Contact Group on Technical Matters Marianne Bailey, US Comfort Sako, Nigeria Bettina Hitzfeld, Switzerland Abdullah K. Tawlah, Saudi Arabia Contact Group on Rules Contact Group on Rules Christopher Taylor, UNEP Jill Hanna, EU Frankie Everitt, New Zealand Heidar Ali Balouji, Iran Contact Group on Reporting Contact Group on Reporting Paul Almodovar, US Contact Group Co-Chair David Kapindula, Zambia Paulina Riquelme Pallamar, Chile Lee Eeles, Australia Contact Group Co-Chair Silvija Kalniņš, Latvia Around the Venue Delegates gather for the start of plenary The Secretariat discusses matters Delegates meet informally UNEP conference staff Delegates from Switzerland Delegates between sessions Gregory Bailey, Antigua and Barbuda Cristina Briel and Juan Simonelli, Argentina Displays around the venue Traditional Jordanian art on display

On Sunday morning, delegates to INC7 convened in plenary to hear reports from contact groups on rules, finance and technical issues before moving ahead with work on issues including, inter alia, artisanal and small-scale gold mining, mercury supply sources and trade, environmentally sound interim storage of mercury other than waste mercury, mercury wastes, and contaminated sites. The contact group on rules continued its work in parallel with the morning plenary and into the afternoon. The contact groups on finance, reporting and technical issues convened in the afternoon. 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. Delegates gather for the start of plenary Fernando Lugris, Uruguay, INC Chair Contact Group on Rules Co-Chair Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan Technical Matters Contact Group Co-Chair Kateřina Šebková, Czech Republic Finance Contact Group Co-Chair Gregor Filyk, Canada John Roberts, UK, Co-Facilitator of the Best Available Technologies/ Best Environmental Practices (BAT/BEP) Informal Group Susan Egan Keane, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Ken Davis, UNEP Carolyn Vickers, World Health Organisation (WHO) Aneta Willems, EU David Kapindula, Zambia, speaking on behalf of the African Group Agustina Camilli, Uruguay, speaking on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) Oumar Diaouré Cissé, Mali Norazeyan Dzul Kornain, Malaysia Lana Saria, Indonesia Sam Adu-Kumi, Ghana Marianne Bailey, US Toï Pagnibam Meba, Togo Haddijatou Jallow, Sierra Leone Desiré Yameogo, Burkina Faso Griffins Ochieng, IPEN Dominique Bally Kpokro, Zero Mercury Working Group Contact Group on Rules Contact Group on Rules Contact Group Co-Chairs Andrew McNee, Australia, and Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan Jill Hanna, EU Angela Rivera, Colombia Silvia Maciunas, Canada Wondwossen Wondemagegnehu, Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of the African Group Contact Group on Technical Matters Contact Group on Technical Matters Bettina Hitzfeld, Switzerland Jean Le Roux, New Zealand Christopher Allen, EU Iftikhar-ul-Hassan Gilani, Pakistan Contact Group on Finance Contact Group on Finance Heidar Ali Balouji, Iran Jozef Buys, EU Adel Shafei Mohamed Osman, Egypt Gabi Eigenmann, Switzerland Contact Group on Reporting Contact Group on Reporting Mick Saito, Japan Contact Group Co-Chair Silvija Kalniņš, Latvia Virginia Poter, Canada Eirik Hovland Steindal, Norway Sheila Logan, interim secretariat of the Minamata Convention Around the Venue Delegates from Japan Delegates from China Delegates between sessions Delegates meet informally A delegate views the ENB website Georg Karlaganis, UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Documents discussing the distribution of mercury around the world