Indonesia will seek an inclusive agreement useful for both developed and developing nations during the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-4) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an official has said.

The convention is being held virtually from November 1 to 5, 2021.

“At COP-4, Indonesia will encourage the achievement of inclusive agreement useful to developed and developing nations,” Director General of Toxic and Hazardous Waste Management at the Environment and Forestry Ministry Rosa Vivien Ratnawati said on Monday.

Ratnawati, who is also president of COP-4 to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, said Indonesia will make efforts to encourage the signing of an agreement to accommodate the interests of developed and developing nations so that all parties can benefit from the Minamata Convention.

In the first phase of the conference, participants will discuss work and budget which will serve as a central issue of the meeting held virtually, she informed.

“At the COP-4.1, we hope and encourage every party to come up with effective views. The issues discussed at the meeting will hopefully come close to a consensus so that the adoption process at COP-4.2 will run smoothly,” she said.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international pact aimed at protecting humans and the environment from the impact of mercury. Indonesia will host COP-4 to Minamata Convention virtually in two stages: the convention is being held virtually from November 1 and 5, 2021, and will take place face-to-face in Bali in 2022.

The convention aims to encourage the reduction and eradication of Minamata disease caused by acute poisoning and persistent exposure to high levels of mercury.

The Minamata Convention is named after the Japanese city of Minamata, which experienced a severe, decades-long incidence of mercury poisoning after industrial wastewater from a chemical factory was discharged into Minamata Bay.

Source: Antara News