Your Excellency Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of Environment for Indonesia,
Your Excellency Rosa Ratnawati of Indonesia, President of the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties
Ms. Monika Stankiewicz, the Executive Secretary of the Minamata Convention Secretariat
Excellencies, distinguished delegates, and colleagues
I am honoured to address you today at the first segment of the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury. My appreciation goes to the Minamata Secretariat under the leadership of its Executive Secretary Ms. Stankiewicz, and the President of this meeting, Ms. Rosa Ratnawati.
The triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution is placing our societies, economies, and planet in grave peril. We will only address the crisis if we work together through concerted and coordinated efforts – such as those carried out under the Minamata Convention.
We have only started untangling the links between mercury pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change, but one thing is clear – they reinforce each other, and damage our health and the environment. As the Global Mercury Assessment report of 2018 told us, human activities have increased total atmospheric mercury concentrations by about 450 per cent above natural levels.
As part of healing our planet, the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, medical devices, dental amalgam, and industrial processes must end and give way to sustainable alternatives. Meanwhile, the global challenge of the illegal mercury trade will need to be addressed through innovative thinking and collective action. In this regard, I congratulate Indonesia for its trailblazing efforts with the Bali Declaration to combat the illegal trade of mercury.
Beyond the specifics, we need to look for more coherent and effective ways to address inherently linked environmental problems.
The reports commissioned by the Minamata Convention Secretariat and BRS Secretariat demonstrate the mutually effective benefits of actions to address the triple planetary crisis. The ongoing processes to develop the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and a Strategic Approach to the sound management of chemicals provide an impetus for active engagement between the biodiversity and chemicals and waste families. We must seize this opportunity to promote coherent implementation across the international environmental agenda, with the Minamata Convention and its 135 parties playing their part.
Your work this week and in the months ahead will define some of the bold and urgent steps we must take to make our planet healthy again. Your work will also contribute to building positive momentum towards the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of UNEP at the UN Conference on the Environment held in Stockholm in 1972.
Let me assure you that UNEP will continue to support your efforts in implementing the Minamata Convention, including through the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership. I would also like to encourage other countries to join soon and make the Minamata Convention a truly global endeavour.
Together, we can find sustainable alternatives to mercury and contribute to healthier people and a healthier planet.
