Guyana says it won support at consultations for Latin America and the Caribbean for a lobby to be mounted at a key meeting in Geneva next year for mercury use in mining to be extended.
The consultations were held November 26-29 in Bogota, Colombia to facilitate regional preparations for the fifth session of the Intergovernmental negotiating committee to prepare a global legally binding instrument on mercury (INC5) which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from 13-18 January 2012.
Guyana was represented by Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, Commissioner of Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Rickford Vieira and Executive Member of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association, Mahendra Persaud, according to a release from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.
Local miners have been pressing the government to lobby internationally for mercury use in gold processing to be extended. European Union and US bans on the export of mercury and a global turn against mercury-processed gold will likely hit them. The local miners argue that alternatives to mercury are not feasible at the moment.
The Ministry release said that issues discussed at the forum related to mercury supply, trade, storage, health, waste and the institution of a financial mechanism to assist developing countries and economies in transition. Negotiations centred on the implementation of stipulations for prohibiting or restricting the production and export of mercury from identified supply sources and facilitating a reduction in the manufacture, distribution in commerce or sale of mercury-added products.
The ministry said that Guyana’s main arguments in the negotiations were contained in its position paper which was prepared by an interdisciplinary committee comprising of stakeholders from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association. The paper outlined the effects that the proposed ban on the mercury trade could have on Guyana’s mining industry and associated economic development trajectories. As such, an appeal was made for the transfer of technology, financial support and other assistance for developing countries (such as Guyana) which will be affected by the cross-cutting decisions made at these negotiations, including the global ban on the trading of mercury.
Guyana’s team was successful in getting mercury in small and medium scale mining being declared as one of the accepted uses for mercury and this was unanimously agreed to and added to the position paper for the Geneva meeting. Countries such as Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Chile, like Guyana have thousands of families that are solely dependent on mining for their survival and while being cognizant of the fact that mercury needs to be phased out in the long run, recognised the impact it would have economically and socially on many small miners, the release said.
The parties discussed the establishment of a mechanism to provide financial and technical cooperation and assistance, including the transfer of technologies to the parties that are developing countries and economies in transition, so that they can implement the control measures stipulated in the globally binding instrument on mercury. It was decided that the fund should receive contributions from donor countries in order to cover all incremental costs incurred by the parties so that they can be compliant with control measures established under the legally binding instrument on mercury.
No timeframe for the phasing out of mercury from gold mining was given. However the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) group will recommend at the conference of parties at the INC5 that a timeframe be established which should give parties time to prepare for the implementation of the procedures that prohibit the production, sale, distribution or use of mercury and associated compounds after the entry into force of the convention.
It was decided that LAC countries should seek allowable exemptions for products such as batteries, measuring devices, switches and relays, topical antiseptics, and various lamp categories. It was noted that these exemptions might necessitate the institution of a licensing regime at the national level to facilitate the regulation of the importation of mercury-based products and mercury elemental and mercury compounds for the use in sectors such as artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM).
At the forum, the issue of storage was seen as being integral to the regulation of mercury-based products and processes. Above ground storage was considered as being the most consolidated and technically the most feasible for the long term storage of mercury. It was noted that underground storage is an option to be considered but that some countries might not meet the conditions required to host an underground facility, either because of geographic, legal and/or cultural conditions.
In terms of environmental health, it was noted that mercury and its compounds are highly toxic to humans, ecosystems and wildlife. Even relatively low doses can have serious neurotoxic effects on adults and children. Initially considered as an acute and local problem, mercury contamination is now considered to be a global challenge with chronic effects. As such, the negotiating parties deliberated on the institution of various strategies which are meant to: identify vulnerable populations based on risk of exposure to establish the promotion of prevention measures necessary to improve their resilience and reduce the chances of health conditions; develop indicators of environmental health to enable follow up and assess compliance with established means for the promotion of prevention of mercury exposure of vulnerable populations; and establish rules to prevent exposure.
These measures, and associated decisions taken at the LAC group, will be presented in Geneva. The LAC will negotiate as one body for the mutual benefit of all associated countries and will cooperate with each other and with relevant intergovernmental organisations and other entities, as appropriate, to achieve the objectives of the convention, the release said.
