Meeting the Kenyan Delegation

By Husna Tunje

11/1/2024

It almost seems like I am living in a dream. Delegates from different countries all in one room, suited up and dressed to impress was a welcomed sight to see. Since we had the opportunity to attend a one-hour reception hosted by the Swiss government at the Minamata Convention, networking seemed almost inevitable. One delegation that particularly caught my eye was the Kenyan Delegation. Despite the nerves, my colleague Kaura and I approached the delegation and introduced ourselves. To our surprise, the distinguished delegates were more than willing to engage in conversation with us at length. We discussed our career goals, Kenyan weather, food and our expectations at the Minamata Convention. They graciously left us with words of advice and their contacts for further networking during the Convention.

Below is a picture of us during the reception hosted by the Swiss Government.

The interaction did not end there, my colleague Kaura and I were invited to lunch by one of the Kenyan delegates the next day. At 1pm, we headed to Coop Restaurant, a 5-minute walk from the convention for the 45-minute lunch with Mr. William Melau. During the lunch, we had the opportunity to ask questions about Mr. Melau’s career in the Kenya Ministry of Environment and his experience with all the chemical conventions such as the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. He expressed that he would wish for us to attend the UNEA (United Nations Environmental Assembly) Convention which will be held from February 26 to March 1 of 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. What a productive interaction!

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Meeting Ken Davis, UNEP

By Ananya Chandra

11/1/23

At 1.15pm, we had a networking opportunity with Ken Davis, who is based out of Geneva and works for UNEP as part of the Minamata Secretariat. Davis, from Wisconsin, is a retired US Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Ukraine working on transboundary water management on the Danube Delta. He then worked for the US EPA for a few years where he did a lot of mercury treaty work in a diplomatic setting. Eventually, he transitioned to working for the UNEP as a Programme Officer for the Chemicals and Health Branch, where he’s been for the past 9 years. 

Davis gave us really valuable insights about the importance of international negotiations, the mechanisms of the Minamata Convention, and his career path. He talked about the barriers posed by financial mechanisms in building consensus during environmental negotiations, and how the role NGOs play extends past advocacy and lobbying, but is integral to the research and data gathering that informs discussions and priorities during committee deliberations. It was interesting to hear about the perspective of an American in the context of international negotiations. The Minamata Secretariat has been incredibly busy during COP-5, and while we are grateful to have had the opportunity to speak with Ken, we hope he is able to get some rest after this week ends!