Today was the first day observing the Minamata COP3! Students woke up early to attend a hotel breakfast (dressed in the finest professional attire) and boarded the bus heading to the United Nations Convention Center. Following a group photo, the group of 12 went to the balcony level to begin observation of the morning plenary. Topics addressed included adoption of the agenda, a case testimony from an individual with Minamata’s disease, discussion surrounding the financial mechanisms annex, implementation strategies, and a report review and recommendations regarding the implementation plan. Students had the opportunity to observe that something as small as the inclusion of brackets in a document text can cause conflict. At one point, voting Parties were reminded that it is necessary to overcome barriers in an effort to further the ideals of the convention.
After the morning plenary, students were treated to lunch at the convention center with the opportunity to observe “side events”. Along with one other student, I sat in on the side event titled “Delivering on the 2030 Agenda through Environmental Governance: Promoting synergies between biodiversity and chemicals and waste MEA clusters” hosted by the UNEP. Topics covered the necessity of biodiversity, mercury’s impact on species, the importance of synergies in addressing global environmental affairs, and working from a “bottom-up” methodology to promote sustainable practices. Conversation strongly related to what students researched for their simulation project earlier in the course and my friend and I understood what was being discussed throughout the session. Towards the end, we observed that a representative of the United States stated their issues with the concept of working in synergy for fear that disregards legal autonomy. In response, the mediator described that the purpose of this event was not to vote on working together in synergy but to promote the potential benefits from such a practice. This lack of desire to work with others somewhat surprised me, but I realize that the United States is primarily concerned with financial efforts as opposed to doing good for humanity.
The negotiations ended for the day following a second plenary session. This topic reviewed an annex to the original text relating to mercury-added products, synergy between the secretariats of the Minamata convention and the BRS convention (three previous hazardous waste conventions that now function in synergy), discussion about an effectiveness evaluation, and the next proposed dates and location of COP4, the subsequent meeting of the Minamata Convention. A smaller group was organized by the secretariat to handle negotiations surrounding all of these aspects but voting Parties did agree that Bali would host COP4 in 2021. Final conversation discussed dental amalgams and their importance in the remainder of the convention.
Through this first day, I was able to note the complexities associated with intergovernmental negotiations and recognize barriers to substantial policy formation. Furthermore, even if a policy is drafted does not dictate whether entities follow through with their portion of the document (as we saw that nations are not prepared for the 2020 deadline for eliminating certain mercury-containing products). Despite barriers to extending upon and implementation of specific policies, the Minamata Convention is the first of its kind to address a specific hazardous chemical and has paved the way for the future of intergovernmental negotiations.
To end the day, Switzerland hosted a reception where students were able to eat dinner and network with IGOs, NGOs, observers, and contributing representatives. Students rode the bus back to the hotel to prepare for the next day or explore the city of Geneva!