IPEN Participating Organization BaliFokus organised a photo exhibit in the exhibition area of the Mercury Treaty's 7th Intenational Negotiating Committee (INC) meeting currently underway in the Dead Sea, Jordan. The exhibition shows some pictures of mercury intoxicated suspects, children and adults, from Indonesia's artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) hotspots and the former thermometer factory in Kodaikanal, India.
On the day before the official opening of the seventh session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC7) for the international Minamata Convention, IPEN hosted a side event in the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, Dead Sea, Jordan. This side event highlighted the latest developments in the guidance for mercury-contaminated site identification, characterization and remediation, and addressed issues of relevance to Article 12 of the Convention and the urgent need to prioritize action to clean-up mercury hot spots. In addition, there was discussion about the challenges involved in the remediation of ASGM sites, as well as industrial and legacy sites, with a particular focus on the public health implications of inaction.
