Mercury is a toxic metal that can harm the brain, lungs, kidneys and immune system.

It is especially dangerous for children and pregnant women. Mercury pollution often results from industrial activities, including small-scale gold mining, and can travel long distances through air and water.

The citizens of Minamata in Japan suffered for decades from mercury poisoning, after a chemical factory began discharging large amounts of polluted water into the city’s bay in the early 1930s.

Devastating impact

The mercury contaminated fish and shellfish and those who ate it experienced devastating symptoms ranging from tremors to hearing impairment, paralysis and death.

Pregnant woman passed on serious disabilities to their unborn children, such as blindness, deafness and severe mental impairments.

Eventually, the public outcry led to an international treaty, the Minamata Convention, which entered into force in 2017 to curb mercury emissions and the use of the metal, and prevent further such tragedies occurring.

As part of the Convention, delegates from governments, the UN, intergovernmental agencies, civil society, Indigenous people and youth meet every two years to review progress and push for further action.

Globally, up to 20 million miners work in artisanal and small-scale gold mining operations, which experts say are often unregulated and unsafe.

On Monday, the sixth conference opened in Geneva, with delegates hoping to speed up the phase out of products that still contain mercury, such as batteries, light bulbs and cosmetics – and cut emissions from factories and other sources.

They will also discuss ways to improve support for countries that need help to meet their commitments, including funding and technical advice.

Laying the foundations

Speaking at the opening, Elizabeth Mrema, the deputy head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), underlined progress made in terms of helping countries understand the scale of mercury use and emissions, “laying the foundations for effective action.”

Ms. Mrema also noted it is the 20th anniversary of the UNEP-led Global Mercury Partnership which brings together nearly 300 partners from the public and private sector to raise awareness of the need for global action on mercury.

The group has helped countries develop national action plans to eliminate mercury use – extremely hazardous to the health of miners – in small-scale goldmining operations.