GEF and the Minamata Convention Means for implementation

1. GEF and the Minamata ConventionMeans for implementation Ibrahima SOW Chemicals Cluster Coordinator (GEF Climate and Chemicals)

2. GEF/Chemicals objectives • Phase out POPs and reduce POPs releases • Production and use of controlled POPs chemicals phased out; • Exempted POPs chemicals used in an environmentally sound manner; • POPs releases to the environment reduced; • POPs waste prevented, managed, and disposed of, and POPs contaminated sites managed in an environmentally sound

3. GEF/Chemicals objectives • Phase out ODS and reduce ODS releases • Support CEITS in meeting their reporting obligations under the Montreal Protocol, including HCFCs phase out plans • Pilot Sound Chemicals Management and Mercury Reduction • Promote the sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle in ways that lead to the minimization of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment.

4. GEF funding for Chemicals • $425 million allocated to chemicals. The distribution of resources is as follows: • POPs: $375 million • Ozone: $25 million • Sound chemicals management and mercury reduction: $25 million

5. The GEF and mercury • GEF involvement in addressing mercury dates back to 1995 when the GEF Council, recognized the global significance of problems posed by persistent toxic substances (PTS), which include mercury, heavy metals and organo-metallic compounds. • Early actions were taken to assess the use of mercury in the artisanal and small scale gold mining (ASGM) sector through a GEF pilot project implemented by the United National Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

6. The GEF and mercury (con’t) • Important advances in mercury emission reduction madein GEF 4 (2006-2010) through a GEF/UNDP global medical waste project to control unintentional releases of POPs (dioxins and furans). The project successfully added a mercury component to take mercury out of selected medical waste streams and allowed the replacement of mercury containing devices with mercury-free ones.

7. The GEF and mercury (con’t) • GEF-5 (2010-2014): Allocation of $25 million for projects to complement and advance negotiations on a global, legally-binding mercury instrument. • Strategy for mercury elaborated and approved by the GEF Council at its 39thsession, to support assessment and pilot activities that will advance the development of the global mercury instrument. • Projects supported in the following issue areas:

8. The GEF and mercury (con’t) • Reducing mercury use in products • Reducing mercury use in industrial processes • Reducing mercury use and exposures in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining • Enhancing capacity for mercury storage • Reducing atmospheric emissions of Mercury • Improved data and scientific information at the national level • Enhancing capacity to address waste and contaminated sites.

9. Ongoing GEF mercury projects • Mercury inventories and development of action plans in • Russian federation • Latin America and the Caribbean • China • Implementation of integrated measures for minimizing mercury releases from artisanal gold mining (ASGM) in • West Africa (Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal) • Latin America and the Caribbean (Peru and Ecuador) • Asia (Mongolia and Philippines)

10. Ongoing GEF mercury projects (con’t) • Global monitoring on human exposure to and environmental concentrations o mercury • Preparatory project to facilitate implementation of the Minamata Convention in Argentina • Environmentally sound life cycle management of mercury containing product and wastes in Uruguay • Environmentally sound management of mercury and mercury containing products and their wastes in ASGM; • Reducing global and local environmental risks from primary mercury mining in Kyrgyzstan.

11. Ongoing GEF mercury projects (con’t) • Industrial processes • Reduction of mercury emissions in zinc smelting operations in China, one of the largest mercury emissions sources in China

12. Implementation of the Minamata Convention • Article 13 of the Minamata Convention on Mercury establishes a financial mechanism that shall include the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund and a specific international Programme to support capacity-building and technical assistance.

13. Implementation of the Minamata Convention (con’t) • Specifically Article 13 states the following: “The Global Environment Facility Trust Fund shall provide new, predictable, adequate and timely financial resources to meet costs in support of implementation of this Convention as agreed by the Conference of the Parties. The GEF Trust Fund shall be operated under the guidance of and be accountable to the Conference of the Parties”.

14. Implementation of the Minamata Convention (con’t) • Minamata COP shall provide guidance on • Overall strategies, • Policies, programme priorities and eligibility for access to and utilization of financial resources. • In addition MC COP shall provide guidance on an indicative list of categories of activities that could receive support from the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund. The Global Environment Facility Trust Fund shall provide resources to meet the agreed incremental costs of global environmental benefits and the agreed full costs of some enabling activities.”

15. Implementation of the Minamata Convention (con’t) • At its 44th Meeting in June 2013, the GEF Council “Authorized the use of up to $10 million for the funding of an early action pre-ratification program for the Minamata Convention to be programed during the remainder of GEF-5, upon request by eligible signatory countries. • GEF Secretariat prepared initial guidelines 1 for enabling activities for the Minamata Convention for the development of • Minamata initial assessment (MIAs) • Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) National Action Plans (NAP), in accordance with Article 7 (3) of the Convention. 1GEF/C.45/Inf.05

16. Perspectives for GEF-6 • Activities to be supported in GEF-6 • Minamata Convention initial assessment activities, including assessment of legislation and policies in regard to the implementation of the Convention, initial inventory of mercury, identification of emission/release sources of mercury, and assessment of the institutional and capacity needs • Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) National Action Plans (NAPs) • Phase out and elimination of the use of mercury in ASGM in interaction and collaboration with relevant NGOs, CBOs, ministries of labor and others

17. Perspectives for GEF-6 (con’t) • Reduction and elimination of mercury from emissive sources listed in Annex D of the Minamata Convention; • Phase out and elimination of mercury in the global supply chain, where appropriate, including mercury in products; • Reduction, phase out or elimination of mercury used in certain industrial processes; • Assessment and sound management of mercury storage • Framework for the environmentally sound management of mercury-containing wastes taking into account any relevant guidelines developed under the Basel Convention • Development of detailed inventories on mercury • Introduction of life cycle management of mercury • see GEF6 programming document

18. Projected resources $ 125 – 130 million - Pending completion of GEF-6 replenishment - (April 2014 in Geneva)

19. Thank you for your attention For more information, please contact the GEF Chemicals Team • Robert Dixon (rdixon1@thegef.org): Team Leader: • Ibrahima SOW (isow@thegef.org): Chemicals Cluster Coordinator • Anil Sookdeo: Senior Environmental Specialist • Hiroaki Takiguchi (htakiguchi@thegef.org) Senior environmental Special • Evelyn Swain (eswain@thegef.org): Environmental Specialist