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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The second day of the COP3 of the Minamata Convention on Mercury proved to be even more interesting than the first.\u00a0 Upon arrival, it was clear by the energy in the room that the delegates were tired from working late into the previous night but were energized to re-enter the negotiations. The morning plenary session focused primarily on the management of dental amalgams and the establishment of harmonized system codes which would allow countries to more easily control international mercury trade.<\/p>\n
The negotiations on dental amalgams proved to be an energetic and passionate topic on the agenda due to the economic and cultural disparities between parties.\u00a0 Some parties voiced their concerns with existing mercury free substitutes because they were concerned with the longevity of such materials in areas where dental care is not as frequented.\u00a0 Others believed that further emphasis on technology transfer needs to be examined due to the difficult training and cost intensive nature of dentistry especially in low income countries.\u00a0 The majority of parties supported a \u201cphase out\u201d of mercury in dental care, however, the time frame of such a phase out was highly disputed.\u00a0 The debate became even more intense when the NGOs were invited to take the floor.\u00a0 Speakers from the NGOs were highly animated and used a combination of charisma and various statistics to speak on behalf of the safety (or lack thereof) of dental amalgams and to encourage funding for additional research and technology transfer. Finally, several parties urged the president to push the agenda item to COP4 once more research was complete.\u00a0 However, the negotiations were directed to a smaller contact group by the president and tasked with formulating a draft decision.\u00a0 Watching the delegates fight for their their countries\u2019 interests was awe-inspiring and can only be compared to watching a Keeping Up with the Kardashians \u2013 but with much more at stake and more eloquent vocabulary.<\/p>\n
For the lunch session, I decided to attend the Effectiveness Evaluation contact group.\u00a0 In a smaller session, it was easier to watch parties communicate with one another and discuss topics in greater depth.\u00a0 It was especially fascinating for me because I was seated behind the expert scientists responsible for data monitoring and modeling in respect to mercury cycling.\u00a0 It was rather entertaining to watch the two hold a side conversation during the negotiation and exciting to see real scientists play a role in international policy making. \u00a0However, my favorite part of this session was when our professor, Dr. Todorova, had the opportunity to take the floor and speak from her expertise in the field.\u00a0 I tried my best to suppress my proud smile as I watched my professor lend a hand to policy making in real time.<\/p>\n
Later that evening, our class took a self-guided tour through Geneva\u2019s Old Town. \u00a0We explored Saint Peter\u2019s Cathedral, walked along cobblestone streets strung with Christmas lights, learned of Catherine Cheynel \u2013 a woman who defended the Swiss city by pouring hot soup on French invaders outside her window, and of course indulged in genuine Swiss chocolate for dessert.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The second day of the COP3 of the Minamata Convention on Mercury proved to be even more interesting than the first.\u00a0 Upon arrival, it was clear by the energy in the room that the delegates were tired from working late into the previous night but were energized to re-enter the negotiations. The morning plenary session… Continue reading Day 2 – Katharine Ryan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stodorov.expressions.syr.edu\/uncop3-geneva-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stodorov.expressions.syr.edu\/uncop3-geneva-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stodorov.expressions.syr.edu\/uncop3-geneva-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stodorov.expressions.syr.edu\/uncop3-geneva-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stodorov.expressions.syr.edu\/uncop3-geneva-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/stodorov.expressions.syr.edu\/uncop3-geneva-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":165,"href":"https:\/\/stodorov.expressions.syr.edu\/uncop3-geneva-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions\/165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stodorov.expressions.syr.edu\/uncop3-geneva-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stodorov.expressions.syr.edu\/uncop3-geneva-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stodorov.expressions.syr.edu\/uncop3-geneva-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}