Minamata Convention

The Minamata Convention aims to ensure the protection of human health and the environment against anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and its compounds into the air, water and land. The convention covers the entire life cycle of mercury, from primary mercury mining to the disposal of mercury.

On 10 October 2013, over 90 countries including Germany and the European Union signed the convention in Minamata, Japan. It entered into force on 16 August 2017.

Since 1 January 2018, the Minamata Convention has been implemented in the European Union through Regulation (EU) 2017/852 on mercury. The regulation has subsequently been revised and updated. The amended Regulation 2024/1849 has been in place since 13 June 2024. To date, 153 countries have joined the Convention. The current status of signature and ratification, acceptance, approval or accession is available on the UN website.

The Convention is called the Minamata Convention to highlight the impacts and commemorate the many victims of the irresponsible handling and deliberate release of mercury into the environment. During the mid-1950s, thousands of people suffered severe health problems as a result of years of mercury-contaminated wastewater discharged by the Japanese chemicals company Chisso into a bay near the seaside town of Minamata. Many people died due to heavy metal poisoning (later called Minamata disease).

As mercury is dispersed worldwide through long-range transport, particularly through the air and water, German consumers also benefit from global reductions, for example through lower mercury levels in fish and seafood. Fish contain important nutrients. However, they may also be contaminated with mercury to varying degrees, depending on the pollution levels in the water body and the age and species of fish. The Federal Environment Ministry website provides further information on mercury levels in fish and other foodstuffs.

In 2025, the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP6) adopted a number of updates to the Convention. These include:

• The important decision to ban dental amalgam worldwide by 2034, setting out clearly specified measures along the path towards that goal.
• Measures to further reduce global trade in cosmetics that contain mercury, for instance through cooperation with INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization and the World Health Organization.
• Measures to update lists of mercury wastes.
• Measures to further combat illegal gold mining.

Financial support and technical assistance are provided to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to enable them to meet their obligations under the Minamata Convention, e.g. through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Specific International Programme. Germany contributes to these financing mechanisms.