The 2025 meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs), held in Geneva from April 28 to May 9, 2025, was an opportunity for the secretariat of the Minamata Convention on Mercury to build partnerships and promote action to address mercury pollution.
A key outcome of the BRS COPs of relevance to mercury was a Basel Convention COP decision to update the technical guidelines on mercury waste to align them with the thresholds adopted at Minamata COP-5. The COPs also adopted a framework for cooperation between the Minamata and BRS secretariats including an outline of activities planned for 2025 and the 2026-2027 biennium.
Under the Rotterdam Convention, the Chemicals Review Committee recommended adding mercury to Annex III to the Convention to require prior informed consent for its international trade, but the COP did not reach a consensus on its addition, and this will be further discussed at the next COP in 2027.
Executive Secretary, Monika Stankiewicz, joined four key high-level events, including the GEF–MEA Exchange, which brought together the heads of seven MEAs alongside Carlos Manuel Rodríguez in his role as GEF CEO. This first-of-its-kind exchange on strategic and practical matters related to the 9th replenishment of the GEF General Trust fund (servicing as a financial mechanism of several MEAs including the Minamata Convention), highlighted the importance of strengthened cross-sector collaboration, experience sharing, and joint efforts in addressing the triple planetary crisis. This dialogue is expected to continue at Minamata COP-6, from November 3 to 7, 2025 in Geneva.
Stankiewicz also attended the Environment Management Group roundtable, the leadership dialogue on the power of synergies, and the side event on the key role of key role of the Science-Policy Panel to tackle chemicals, waste, and pollution. In a video produced by the BRS secretariat, the Executive Secretary emphasized that this is not only about collaboration between the secretariats of MEAs, but also about the importance of ensuring coherence at the national level, noting that over the years a growing number of Parties have been observed championing the integration of policies across biodiversity and chemicals.
The secretariat also engaged in high-level bilateral meetings with representatives from Bangladesh, Finland, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, the Philippines, Sudan, Ukraine and other Parties and non-Parties to the Minamata Convention, reinforcing national-level engagement and shared priorities.
Reflecting on the momentum built during the COPs, the Minamata Convention secretariat delivered a statement on behalf of Monika Stankiewicz that highlighted that “the future of chemicals and waste governance lies in integrated action, science-based cooperation, and strong digital and institutional linkages. As we look ahead to COP-6 of the Minamata Convention, we are more determined than ever to support Parties in translating this vision into impactful action”.
“There is still a lot we can do together to demonstrate and maximize the co-benefits arising from the implementation of the Minamata Convention, BRS Conventions and the Global Framework on Chemicals on one hand and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework on the other,” she said. “The Minamata Convention secretariat is looking forward to further collaboration and coordination with the secretariats of BRS, GFC and the CBD secretariat in this regard.”
In addition to the Executive Secretary’s participation, the secretariat supported several technical side events on mercury in products, digital tools for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the work of compliance committees, while also engaging with youth and civil society.