unep_mercury_july2011_letter-d0e791dec0155efd.pdf

This document is a note from the secretariat of the intergovernmental negotiating committee to prepare a global legally binding instrument on mercury. It presents a new draft text for the instrument, incorporating views and proposals submitted by parties during the committee's second session in Chiba, Japan, and subsequent written submissions. The draft outlines various options for regulating mercury supply, international trade, mercury-added products, manufacturing processes, artisanal and small-scale gold mining, and emissions and releases to air, water, and land.

• The draft instrument proposes two primary options for its objective: one focused on protecting human health and the environment by minimizing or eliminating anthropogenic releases of mercury, and another focused on minimizing and preventing adverse effects through information exchange and risk reduction strategies.
• Regarding mercury supply, the draft includes options to prohibit the export of mercury produced from primary mercury mining and to eliminate such mining within a specified timeframe, such as three years from the date of entry into force.
• The draft outlines measures for international trade, suggesting that imports of mercury or mercury compounds be allowed only for environmentally sound storage, environmentally sound disposal, or a use allowed under the Convention.
• For mercury-added products, the draft provides several options, including the prohibition of manufacture, production, and export of products listed in Annex C, except under registered allowable-use exemptions.
• The document proposes regulations for manufacturing processes using mercury, including the requirement for parties to prepare and implement national action plans to reduce and eliminate mercury use in processes listed in Annex D.
• The draft addresses artisanal and small-scale gold mining by proposing that parties regulate the sector and reduce or eliminate mercury use within 10 years of the instrument's entry into force.
• To manage atmospheric emissions and releases to water and land, the draft suggests the use of best available techniques (BAT) and best environmental practices (BEP), and requires parties with significant aggregate mercury emissions (defined as 10 or more tons annually) to adopt national goals.
• The draft includes provisions for the environmentally sound storage of mercury and the management of mercury wastes, emphasizing consistency with the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal.
• Financial mechanisms are proposed to support developing countries and countries with economies in transition, including the possibility of a stand-alone multilateral mercury fund funded by developed-country Parties.
• The draft proposes the establishment of a Conference of the Parties (COP) as the governing body, a Secretariat to be performed by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, and an implementation or compliance committee.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). unep_mercury_july2011_letter-d0e791dec0155efd.pdf. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/UNEP_Mercury_July2011_Letter.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. unep_mercury_july2011_letter-d0e791dec0155efd.pdf. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/UNEP_Mercury_July2011_Letter.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=unep_mercury_july2011_letter-d0e791dec0155efd.pdf |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/UNEP_Mercury_July2011_Letter.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndunepmercuryjuly2011letterd0e791dec0155efdpdf, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{unep\_mercury\_july2011\_letter-d0e791dec0155efd.pdf}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/UNEP_Mercury_July2011_Letter.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }