UNEP/MC/COP.3/6 - Report by the group of technical experts on guidance in relation to mercury releases

Note by the secretariat 1. Article 9 of the Minamata Convention on Mercury concerns controlling and, where feasible, reducing releases of mercury and mercury compounds to land and water from the relevant point sources not addressed in other provisions of the Convention. Subparagraph 2 (b) of that article defines “relevant source” as “any significant anthropogenic point source of release as identified by a party that is not addressed in other provisions of this Convention”. Paragraph 3 of the same article provides that “each party shall, no later than three years after the date of entry into force of the Convention for it and on a regular basis thereafter, identify the relevant point source categories”. Paragraph 6 provides that “each party shall establish, as soon as practicable and no later than five years after the date of entry into force of the Convention for it, and maintain thereafter, an inventory of releases from relevant sources”. Paragraph 7 provides that “the Conference of the Parties shall, as soon as practicable, adopt guidance on best available techniques and on best environmental practices…and on the methodology for preparing inventories of releases”. 2. The Conference of the Parties, in its decision MC-2/3, established a group of technical experts to develop draft guidance on methodologies for the preparation of inventories for a list of potentially relevant point source categories, working primarily through electronic means. It requested the secretariat first to invite parties, signatories and other stakeholders to identify possible point source categories of releases to be included in the list and then to compile that information in a report and share it with the group. The group was requested to present the report, including a list of any significant anthropogenic point source of release categories not addressed in provisions of the Convention other than article 9, along with a suggested road map and structure for the development of draft guidance on methodologies for preparing inventories, for possible adoption by the Conference of the Parties at its third meeting. The group was also requested to develop draft guidance on standardized and known methodologies for preparing inventories for the sources in that list for possible adoption by the Conference of the Parties at its fourth meeting. The Conference of the Parties decided that at its third meeting it would again consider the composition of the expert group and the need for the group to meet face to face.