UNEP/MC/COP.3/5 - Approaches to identifying and distinguishing non-mercury-added products and mercury-added products listed in Annex A on the basis of the Harmonized System framework

Download the complete document in word or PDF format by clicking on the icons: Note by the secretariat 1. At its second meeting, the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, in its decision MC-2/9, requested the secretariat, in collaboration with the Products Partnership and in consultation with relevant organizations, to suggest approaches for customs codes to identify and distinguish non-mercury-added products and mercury-added products listed in Annex A to the Convention, including approaches for their possible harmonization, taking into account the results of the survey on the Harmonized System initiative developed by the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership – Mercury in Products partnership area. By that decision, the secretariat was requested to circulate to parties and other stakeholders a draft report for comments, to revise the draft report taking into account the comments received, and to present the report to the Conference of the Parties at its third meeting for its consideration. 2. In response to those requests, a draft report was developed by the secretariat in collaboration with the Products Partnership and supported by expert consultant advice. Comments were made on the draft report by the Products Partnership for a week between May and June. It was then uploaded to the Convention website for comments until 1 August 2019 and subsequently revised by the secretariat in consultation with the Products Partnership, taking into account the comments received. The executive summary of the report is presented as the annex to the present note. The full report is set out in document UNEP/MC/COP.3/INF/12.