Kumamoto, Japan — The world’s first international mercury treaty should address mercury in artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) by applying the lessons from the Minamata tragedy, the International NGO IPEN said today.
(Kumamoto, Japan) The world’s first international mercury treaty should address mercury in artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) by applying the lessons from the Minamata tragedy, the International NGO IPEN said today.
In October, 2013, IPEN adopted its "Minamata Declaration on Toxic Metals." Along with IPEN's "Stockholm Declaration," which was developed in relation to IPEN's work on the Stockholm Convention on POPs, and its "Dubai Declaration for a Toxics-Free Future," which was developed in relation to IPEN's work on the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), IPEN's "Minamata Declaration on Toxic Metals" was spurred on by IPEN's f
Minamata, Japan — The world’s first international mercury treaty offers Japan an opportunity to make Minamata an international model for how to resolve environmental crises, the International NGO IPEN said today. Speaking in Minamata on the eve of a diplomatic conference in Kumamoto that will adopt the “Minamata Convention,” senior science and technical advisor for IPEN, Joe DiGangi, said:
“The Mercury Treaty is particularly connected to Minamata because it specifically calls on governments around the world to learn and apply the lessons from the Minamata tragedy to prevent mercury poisoning in the future. Unfortunately, the original tragedy is still not resolved.”
