Workshop to share knowledge among Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru on mercury trade

A workshop to share knowledge among Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru on mercury trade was held in La Paz, Bolivia, from 8 to 10 October 2019, with the funding provided by the European Union.

The overall objective of the workshop was to support countries in the implementation of their trade-related obligations under the Minamata Convention. The workshop was also an opportunity for representatives from the ministries of the environment to exchange with their respective customs officers to share experiences on trade-related issues, such as prior consent to import, sources of traded mercury, handling and storage of confiscated mercury, and the use of traded mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

Participants identified the challenges encountered in the implementation of the Minamata Convention and explored solutions and approaches to overcome those challenges at national and sub-regional levels. This includes the operationalization of the newly established Andean Observatory responsible for the management of official information on mercury.

The report of the workshop is available here (Spanish only). The Secretariat will convene a side-event at COP3 to disseminate the outcomes of the workshop and follow up on the recommendations.