The Minamata Convention on Mercury was adopted on 10 October 2013 in Kumamoto, Japan. It entered into force on 16 August 2017. It is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury.

Major highlights of the Minamata Convention include a ban on new mercury mines, the phase-out of existing ones, the phase-out and phase-down of mercury use in a number of products and processes, control measures on emissions to air and on releases to land and water, and the regulation of the informal sector of artisanal and small-scale gold mining. The Convention also addresses interim storage of mercury and its disposal once it becomes waste, sites contaminated by mercury as well as health issues.

Find out more in the resources below.