Turkey and Algeria have become the most recent countries to be parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
Türkiye deposited its instrument of ratification successfully on October 4, 2022, thereby becoming the 138th party to the Minamata Convention on Mercury and Algeria deposited its instrument of ratification on November 30, 2022, to become the 139th party to the Minamata Convention.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. The Convention was agreed upon at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on mercury in Geneva, Switzerland on Saturday, January 19, 2013, and adopted later that year on October 10, 2013, at a Diplomatic Conference (Conference of Plenipotentiaries), held in Kumamoto, Japan.
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The Minamata Convention entered into force on August 16, 2017, on the 90th day after the date of deposit of the 50th instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.
“The Minamata Convention draws attention to a global and ubiquitous metal that, while naturally occurring, has broad uses in everyday objects and is released to the atmosphere, soil and water from a variety of sources. Controlling the anthropogenic releases of mercury throughout its lifecycle has been a key factor in shaping the obligations under the Convention,” says the Convention Secretariat.
Nigeria ratified the Convention as the 88th Party on Thursday, February 1, 2018.
Story was adapted from EnvironNewsNigeria.
