Case Story - Building capacity of Minamata Parties to meet the obligations of the Convention on Mercury

In the mid-1950s, mercury devastated the fishing villages in Minamata Bay, Japan. The methylmercury industrial wastewater poisoned the waters and marine species living in it. The impacts on human health were severe and were transmitted across generations. The disease resulting from mercury contamination was named "Minamata Disease", after the Japanese bay.

Mercury occurs naturally in the earth's crust. It is released into the environment from volcanic activity, weathering of rocks, and anthropogenic activities.

Mercury moves with air and water and can be transported thousands of miles in the atmosphere, transcending political borders. Once released, mercury can persist in the environment for over a century or more, reaching the most remote locations and generating immeasurable damage to human health.

After years of extensive negotiations on measures to reduce mercury emissions and curb its adverse impacts on human health, over 130 Member States adopted a legally binding instrument on mercury - the Minamata Convention on Mercury—in 2013, which entered into force in August 2017.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. As of March 2024, the Convention has 148 Parties that have committed to economy-wide measures to reduce the use, emissions, and releases of mercury. 

The Minamata Convention Secretariat facilitates the successful implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury by its Parties, providing support, coordination, and expertise as they work towards the objective of the Convention: to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.

The Minamata Convention Secretariat approached UNSSC in 2022 to develop Minamata Tools, a set of interactive training modules designed and produced to provide accessible information, knowledge, and training to develop and strengthen the national capacity of Minamata Convention Parties, particularly their National Focal Points, and other relevant stakeholders to meet the obligations under the Minamata Convention on Mercury.  Minamata Tools were designed with financial support from the European Union.

The Minamata Convention has developed numerous resources, including technical reports, tools, and other guidelines to support Parties in meeting their obligations under the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The broader goal of Minamata Tools is to serve as a learning platform that provides accessible information in a simplified and interactive way to strengthen the national capacity of Minamata Parties and their stakeholders.

Minamata Tools targets National Focal Points and the other relevant stakeholders involved with mercury in their work such as personnel controlling mercury trade flows, industrial managers, procurement officers, and government officials from a wide range of relevant ministries.

UNSSC worked with the Minamata Convention Secretariat to convert the technical documents and guidelines, particularly the Minamata Convention on Mercury text and annexes, into a dynamic e-learning platform. The development process involved translating a very technical topic into a user-friendly platform that compiles relevant and precise information.

The platform offers information on selected Articles of the Convention to facilitate full implementation, which is fundamental for the Convention's success.

The E-learning platform was designed as a learning path with five self-paced modules in English. Each module offers interactive content, knowledge checks, discussion forums, additional resources, and built-in feedback tools to provide self-led and comprehensive learning. The platform was launched in May 2024.

Thanks to the Minamata e-learning platform, national focal points are now guided through the reporting process, ensuring that they collect and present the most relevant information on the Minamata Convention.

As of November 2024, it had attracted over 200 learners from diverse sectors from all over the world.