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The Minamata Convention is a global treaty to protect health and environment from toxic mercury.

20/10/2026

The Secretariat of the presented draft guidance on developing national action plans to phase out dental amalgam at the final meeting of the GEF-7 dental amalgam project.

The closure meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project took place in Dakar, Senegal, from 19 to 22 October. The project supported Senegal, Thailand and Uruguay to phase down and where feasible phase out, dental amalgam, as well as improve practices on mercury waste management.

The draft guidance presented by the Secretariat was developed by the European Network for Environmental Medicine, with financial support from the European Union. Participants from the three project countries, as well as Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mauritania and Togo, together with representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Environment Programme and other organizations, provided input to the draft.

Learn more about the meeting: https://www.unep.org/globalmercurypartnership/events/workshop/african-sub-regional-workshop-and-global-closure-meeting-project-phasing-down-use

And read the WHO press release: https://www.afro.who.int/countries/senegal/news/accelerating-global-transition-mercury-free-oral-health-care

20/10/2026

Yesterday, the highlighted cooperation to address trade and illegal gold mining at a side event at the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime ( ).

Titled "Beyond Gold: Mining Inputs, Organized Crime and Environmental Harms", the event was held in Vienna, Austria, and explored how tracing mercury, fuel and heavy machinery can support the detection, investigation, traceability and disruption of illegal gold mining networks.

Lara Ognibene, Legal Officer at the Secretariat, said in her opening remarks: "Transition to mercury-free mining cannot be achieved by miners and governments alone. Buyers, traders, refiners, and financial institutions must also step up and play their part in driving responsible practices across the gold supply chain."

Learn more: https://minamataconvention.org/en/news/minamata-convention-highlights-cooperation-address-mercury-trade-and-illegal-gold-mining-untoc

15/10/2026

No environmental treaty can tackle today’s information challenges alone. 🤝

This week in Geneva, more than 20 environmental treaty secretariats met with UNEP for the 16th InforMEA Steering Committee. They agreed to work more closely together and to take a bigger role in steering their shared knowledge work.

The Minamata Convention moderated the discussion on e-learning, outreach and artificial intelligence. Participants agreed on one clear priority: a stronger community of practice.

“InforMEA is much more than an information portal. It is a community of practice, a governance mechanism shared by MEAs, and a platform for innovation.” – Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary, Minamata Convention

🔗 Full story https://bit.ly/3VMoceW

13/10/2026

The Secretariat was pleased to have participated in the workshop on "Ensuring Environmental Compliance with the ", held at the Department of Environment in Dhaka on 10 October 2026, at the invitation of the Government of Bangladesh.

Eisaku Toda, Senior Programme Management Officer at the Secretariat, provided an overview of the key provisions of the Convention, updates on national reporting and the work of the Implementation and Compliance Committee, as well as progress on intersessional work.

Bangladesh government officials shared updates on the Minamata Initial Assessment (MIA), policy measures to phase out dental amalgam and other implementation measures. They also expressed interest in reviewing the country’s MIA, with funding to be made available through the Global Environment Facility in line with the guidance adopted at .

12/10/2026

Saturday 10 October marked the 13th anniversary of the signing of the .

Just one day earlier, the 17th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant (ICMGP) concluded in Hyderabad, India, underscoring the importance of science and international collaboration in addressing pollution.

Throughout the conference, the Convention Secretariat contributed to discussions on the science-policy interface, mercury monitoring, artisanal and small-scale gold mining ( ), mercury-containing cosmetics, and the links between mercury pollution and .

As Executive Secretary Monika Stankiewicz emphasized: "The Minamata Convention needs robust, independent and policy-relevant science. The questions that Parties will face in the coming years can only be answered through continued research, monitoring and international scientific collaboration."

The next ICMGP will take place in Toledo, Spain, from 25 to 30 June 2028.

Read more: https://minamataconvention.org/en/news/icmgp-2026-concludes-focus-science-and-global-efforts-mercury

12/10/2026

Artisanal and small-scale miners are responsible for producing 20 p...

09/10/2026

Ahead of on 10 October, we highlight the impacts of mercury pollution on birds and biodiversity.

Mercury can be particularly harmful to species at the top of the food web, such as fish-eating birds, while species can also carry mercury over long distances, reaching as far as the Arctic, where many species are already threatened by climate change and other drivers of loss.

Learn more about this day: https://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org

The 2026 campaign artwork by Luísa Lacerda from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, features migratory species, including the Cinnamon Teal, Merlin, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Barn Swallow, Oystercatcher, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, and Abdim’s Stork.

09/10/2026

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin found in products ranging from cosmetics to fluorescent lamps, and it is widely used in small-scale gold mining.

But change is underway: mercury-laced products are being phased out, trade in mercury has slowed, and gold mines are switching to less toxic alternatives.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury brings together more than 150 countries to reduce mercury pollution and protect people and the planet: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/mercury-has-long-sickened-and-killed-could-tide-finally-be-turning

08/10/2026

Yesterday, the Secretariat joined "COMPLEXion of Change: Challenging Colorism Through Policy, Art, and Science" in Hyderabad, India, an event organized by the UN Environment Programme, Circular Innovation Lab and Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad.

Held in the context of , the event featured a special screening of COMPLEXion, a documentary by filmmaker and activist Nina Davuluri exploring skin-lightening practices, colorism, and the societal pressures that continue to shape perceptions of beauty, identity and self-worth.

In her opening remarks, Executive Secretary Monika Stankiewicz highlighted: “Mercury in cosmetics is not only a chemical issue, it is also a social issue. It reflects the persistence of colorism and the harmful belief that lighter skin is somehow more desirable, more beautiful, or more successful than darker skin."

"Addressing mercury in cosmetics requires more than regulations and enforcement: it requires changing the narratives that sustain demand, it requires challenging stereotypes. This is why today’s event is so important and I am so grateful to Nina Davuluri for her leadership. Her storytelling is a powerful tool for change."

Learn more about the event at the UNEP website: https://www.unep.org/globalmercurypartnership/events/unep-event/complexion-change-challenging-colorism-through-policy-art-and-science

08/10/2026

Last week, the Secretariat participated for the first time in the annual meeting of the United Nations Governing Bodies Secretariats (UNGBS), hosted by the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva on 1–2 October 2026.

The meeting provided a platform for exchange on key issues shaping governance, including effectiveness and decision-making, artificial intelligence, the process and its implications for governing bodies, and capacity-building for diversity and inclusion.

Participation in this forum enabled the Secretariat to learn from approaches across the UN system, share its experience and strengthen cooperation on evolving governance practices and digital tools.

Learn more: https://minamataconvention.org/en/news/minamata-convention-joins-un-governing-bodies-network

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