Towards the Sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP-6)

About Minamata COP-6

The Sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention took place in Geneva, from 3 to 7 November 2025. All official information related to the event is published on the Convention’s website in a special section dedicated to COP-6.

During COP-5, the Conference of the Parties elected Osvaldo Álvarez (Chile) as the President of COP-6.

Livestream – Closing Plenary 7 November 2025

Outcomes

The Sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP-6) convened over 1,000 in-person participants and attracted nearly 4,000 online viewers. The meeting marked an important milestone in global efforts to curb mercury pollution. Throughout the week, Parties adopted 22 decisions aimed at advancing the Convention’s mission to safeguard human health and the environment from mercury pollution. The meeting was marked by a spirit of collaboration, resolve, and shared purpose, with closing remarks spotlighting the COP President’s leadership in guiding the process to a successful outcome.

Various outcomes from COP-6 include:

• Dental amalgam | Establishes a global phase-out of dental amalgam by 2034 and provides several phasedown measures for Parties to adopt in the meantime. The decision is a historic milestone for the Convention and marks a decisive step toward the total elimination of mercury use in dentistry and a safer future for all.
• Mercury-added cosmetics | Steps up global efforts to eliminate mercury-added skin-lightening products, enhancing enforcement and cooperation with the World Health Organization and other partners to curb illegal trade and protect public health.
• Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) | Recognizes the importance of providing alternative livelihoods for mining communities, particularly those in vulnerable situations, when moving away from mercury use. Requests the Secretariat to explore how supply-chain transparency and certification can reduce mercury use and enhance accountability of buyers and intermediaries across the gold trade.
• Indigenous Peoples | Developed with input two representatives of Indigenous Peoples, urges Parties to provide support for the effective participation of Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities in work and meetings under the Convention.
• Mercury waste | Asks Parties and relevant stakeholders to submit any proposed updates to the lists of wastes covered by paragraph 2 (definition) of Article 11 on waste.
• Mercury and Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) | Requests Parties and relevant stakeholders to undertake the actions suggested in the Road Map for enhancing co-benefits from implementation of the Minamata Convention and the GBF by 2030. It also encourages Parties to integrate actions on reducing mercury pollution from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) into national biodiversity strategies and action plans.
• COP-7 Date and Venue | Decides to hold COP-7 in Geneva from 14 to 18 June 2027, with preparatory meetings to be held on 13 June 2027.
• Supply sources and trade | Encourages Parties to consider creating an additional Convention annex to regulate such trade; invites Parties and stakeholders to submit information by 31 March 2026 on mercury compound supply, trade, and potential candidates for listing in the annex; and establishes an open-ended expert group to analyze all submitted information and make recommendations ahead of COP-7.
• International cooperation | Calls for seeking partnership with the new Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution (ISP-CWP); enhancing cooperation with the Global Framework on Chemicals; and seeking membership in the Inter-Organization Programme for Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC).
• Follow-up to the Gender Action Plan | Requests the Secretariat to carry out activities to address the health concerns of women and children during the biennium 2026–2027 and propose to COP-7 other activities for the 2028–2029 biennium.
• Capacity-building and technical assistance | Having considered the limited availability of information on the needs of parties with respect to alternative technologies (as presented in the desk study conducted by the Secretariat), requests the Secretariat to to further collect and analyze information on existing initiatives and progress made in relation to alternative technologies, as well as related needs and challenges.
• Financial mechanism | Provides additional guidance to the Global Environment Facility, asks the Secretariat to finalize its analysis of staffing and funding needs of the Specific International Programme to support Capacity-Building and Technical Assistance (SIP), and for COP-7 to consider a SIP extension for an additional period not exceeding seven years.
• Upcoming effectiveness evaluation | Underscores the importance of Parties submitting their second full national report by 31 December 2025 for ensuring that the most recent information is available for the evaluation due to be considered by COP-7.
• Knowledge management | Asks the Secretariat to continue the implementation of the Convention’s digital strategy; work with the Global Mercury Partnership to advance shared knowledge initiatives concerning mercury-related issues; collaborating with the secretariats of other multilateral environmental agreements on knowledge management, digitalization, and information exchange; developing the Minamata Exchange Platform for information exchange.
• Cooperation and collaboration with the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions | Calls for the Secretariat to explore ways of further strengthening cooperation and collaboration with the BRS Conventions.
• The establishment of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Mercury, the launch of the Minamata Convention’s Women’s Caucus, and the Youth Declaration.

Reactions to the outcomes included:

• Global Cops Called on to Investigate Illegal Production and Trade of Toxic Skin Lighteners | Zero Mercury Working Group | 7 November 2025
  Zero Mercury applauds Minamata Convention COP-6 decision on mercury-added cosmetics and mercury compounds.
• Mercury Treaty Fails to Address the Gold Mining Crisis | IPEN | 7 November 2025
  Ban on mercury in dental fillings is a positive step but small-scale gold mining will remain the largest global contributor to mercury pollution without urgent action.
• Mercury treaty summit criticized for inaction on gold mining crisis | AP | 7 November 2025
  The global mercury conference in Geneva faced sharp criticism Friday from environmental and Indigenous groups for failing to take stronger steps against mercury use in small-scale gold mining.

Highlights

Previous Days

Day 4 | Day 3 | Day 2 | Day 1 | Day 0

Minamata Convention Newsletter

• Day 1 | 3 November 2025
• Day 2 | 4 November 2025
• Day 3 | 5 November 2025
• Day 4 | 6 November 2025
• Day 5 | 7 November 2025

What to Expect from Minamata COP-6

The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP-6) was a key milestone in the global efforts to protect human health and the environment from mercury pollution. Over one thousand participants, including Parties’ representatives, non-party governments, intergovernmental organizations, UN bodies, and NGOs, are already confirmed to attend the meeting.

Tentative Schedule

From Science to Action: Protecting the Amazon from Mercury Pollution | Minamata COP-6 Special Event

To amplify the human stories behind mercury pollution and to bring hope, science, and meaningful dialogue to the forefront of the COP-6 agenda, the Minamata Convention Secretariat, in coordination with the Geneva Environment Network, is organizing a special event featuring globally recognized voices in nature conservation, policy, and science. The event will take place at CICG on 2 November 2025 from 17:30 to 20:00 CET. 

The event will highlight the work of Fernando Trujillo, conservation scientist and National Geographic Rolex Explorer of the Year, who will share insights from decades of research and his advocacy against mercury pollution. Aileen Mioko Smith, Executive Director of Green Action in Japan and co-author of Minamata with photographer W. Eugene Smith, will connect the legacy of Minamata disease to current challenges in the Amazon and introduce the COP-6 photo exhibit Minamata: Photographer’s Eye Project.

The dialogue will be followed by a screening of the documentary Amazon, the New Minamata?, which portrays the impacts of mercury on Indigenous Peoples of Brazil’s Tapajós River.

→ Register to attend. This event is open to the public. To access the venue, please bring a valid identification document.

Minamata COP-6 Special Events

Special events will be primarily in-person and held in Geneva alongside COP-6 (3–7 November), starting on the preceding day and continuing throughout the week. The programme will feature high-level discussions, thematic panels, movie screenings, and a photo exhibition displayed on the lakeshore of Geneva.

Knowledge Labs

Knowledge Lab sessions take place during the COP at CICG and are designed to provide an opportunity for organizers to engage with COP-6 participants and showcase their work in an open space set-up through a 45-minute knowledge-sharing session.

Highlights of Knowledge Labs

Pre-COP-6 Preparatory Events

GEN Briefing on Minamata COP-6

Ahead of the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Minamata Convention Secretariat organized a Briefing on the 6th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury within the framework of the Geneva Environment Network.

Pre-COP-6 Online Events Week ​

Pre-COP 6 online events took place from 13 to 17 October 2025. The Geneva Environment Network collaborated with various partners in the organization of Pre-COP 6 online events:

Links

• Countdown to Minamata COP-6 | 27 October 2025
• Minamata Convention Updates | 25 September 2025