Joint Press Release with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the EnvironmentResults of the Asia-Pacific Meeting before the Fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury

1) Meeting period

Date:

Tuesday, May 15 - Thursday, May 17, 2012

Venue:

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Organizer:

United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)

2) Attendees

The meeting was attended by governmental delegations from Asia-Pacific countries, the chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury (INC) from Uruguay, and the UNEP Secretariat, as well as pre-registered NGO observers. In total, more than 70 participants gathered from 31 countries/regions.

From Japan, a delegation consisting of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) attended the meeting.

3) Meeting results

In a series of sessions in the meeting, including small sessions, participants exchanged their views on the new draft text of the instrument on mercury created for the INC fourth session, in which the following views were generally shared among them:

1. Many countries agreed to take the so-called positive-list approach, by which categories of products to be banned are listed in the appendix of the instrument; and
2. On the instrument, it is difficult to control finished products containing mercury-added parts, such as cars using switches and relays, and electric and electronic devices to which lamps and batteries are attached before shipping.

Based on the results, the participants agreed that each country will review the draft text further for the purpose of discussing issues at the fourth session of the INC.

May 21, 2012

Chemical Management Policy Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau