The Minamata Convention requires that party nations:

♤ Reduce and where feasible eliminate the use and release of mercury from artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

♤ Control mercury air emissions from coal-fired power plants, coal-fired industrial boilers, certain non- ferrous metals production operations, waste incineration,and cement production.

♤ Phase-out or take measures to reduce mercury use in certain products such as batteries, switches, lights, cosmetics, pesticides and measuring devices, and create initiatives to reduce the use of mercury in dental amalgam.

♤ Phase out or reduce the use of mercury in manufacturing processes such as chlor-alkali production, vinyl chloride monomer production, and acetaldehyde production.

♤ In addition, the Convention addresses the supply and trade of mercury; safer storage and disposal, and

strategies to address contaminated sites.

♤ The Convention includes provisions for technical assistance, information exchange, public awareness, and research and monitoring. It also requires Parties to report on measures taken to implement certain provisions. The Convention will be periodically evaluated to assess its effectiveness in meeting its objective of protecting human health and the environment from mercury pollution.

The Minamata Convention entered into force on August 2017. The first CoP to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP1) took place in September 2017 at the International Conference Centre in Geneva. The COP 2 will take place in November 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for ratification of Minamata Convention on Mercury along with flexibility for continued use of mercury-based products and processes involving mercury compound up to 2025 and depositing the instrument of ratification enabling India to become a Party of the Convention.