Abstract
In 2009 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was mandated by its Governing Council to develop a global legally binding instrument for mercury. An Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) was established to prepare the instrument before the 27th UNEP Governing Council Meeting in February 2013. This instrument will have significant and far-reaching effects for South Africa, due to our economy's reliance on fossil fuels, in particular coal fired power generation. South Africa is currently rated as the 6th largest emitter of mercury in the world with annual emissions estimated at around 50 tons. This paper will look at the draft text of the instrument after the 4th round of negotiations and highlight some of the potential implications for South Africa. It must be highlighted that the text of the instrument is still under negotiations and the observations and remarks made in this paper are not the official position of the Government of South Africa.
Highlights
The 25'h session of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 16 - 20 February 2009
The instrument was to be prepared by an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) before the 27th session of the UNEP Governing Council in February 2013
It must be noted that the text of the instrument is still under negotiation and the observations and remarks made in this paper are not the official position of the Government of South Africa
Summary
The 25'h session of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 16 - 20 February 2009. During this meeting the participating governments, including South Africa, agreed to develop a global legally binding instrument on mercury. This paper will provide a broad overview of the draft text with specific emphasis on the sections of the instrument that have impl ications for South Africa.
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