The Minamata Convention Secretariat (Ref. MC/ES/2026/36) invited Parties and stakeholders to submit information on challenges in implementing obligations regarding mercury-added cosmetics, linked to COP-6 decision MC-6/4. The call explicitly seeks input on implementation and enforcement issues (e.g., manufacture/import/export and compliance challenges) and notes potential support pathways under Articles 14 (capacity-building/technical assistance) and 15 (Implementation and Compliance Committee). Submissions are due by 30 June 2026; the communication also notes additional cutoffs for Party submissions to the Implementation and Compliance Committee (13 July 2026 and 1 December 2026) for consideration at specific committee meetings.
The Secretariat issued letter MC/COP6/2026/32 summarizing key dates related to COP-7 (including meeting dates) and highlighting timelines for Party actions/submissions. The letter flags that Parties intending to request an exemption extension under Article 6(6) should submit requests preferably by 6 March 2027 and no later than 6 July 2027, and it also lists several nearer-term submission/comment deadlines for COP-7 preparatory work (e.g., effectiveness evaluation scientific report comments; inputs on mercury-added cosmetics implementation challenges; inputs on financial mechanism experiences). Compliance and policy teams supporting Party submissions or tracking likely future controls should calendar these dates.
The Minamata Convention Secretariat published the COP-6 outcomes/decisions package in all six UN languages. While this does not itself create new obligations, it provides the authoritative decision texts that Parties and compliance/legal teams use for interpreting COP-6 outcomes and planning domestic follow-up/implementation work.
The Minamata Convention Open-Ended Scientific Group (OESG) released a draft scientific report (dated 10 April 2026) supporting the Convention’s first effectiveness evaluation process and opened an eight-week period for Parties to provide input. The draft report and the Secretariat news item specify a comment deadline of 8 June 2026. While not a binding legal change, it is an actionable consultation milestone for Parties and technical stakeholders supporting national positions and future COP decisions tied to effectiveness evaluation under the Convention.
The Minamata Convention Secretariat opened intersessional calls for information/submissions in preparation for COP-7. The page requests (i) voluntary submissions by 31 Mar 2026 on mercury compounds (supply/use/trade and views on possible compounds to list in a potential new annex that could make listed compounds subject to Article 3 trade provisions); (ii) information by 30 Jun 2026 on challenges implementing the mercury-added cosmetics ban; (iii) information by 30 Apr 2026 for the third review of the financial mechanism; and (iv) proposals to update mercury waste threshold tables due no later than 6 Mar 2027. It also notes draft guidance under development on dental amalgam national action planning following COP-6 outcomes. Compliance/government affairs teams should track these submission windows because they can shape future treaty guidance and potential amendments (e.g., a new annex on mercury compounds and updated waste thresholds).
Hong Kong has announced commencement dates for the regulation of eight additional types of mercury-added products (MAPs), giving effect to amendments adopted at COP-5 of the Minamata Convention. This follows the May 2025 amendment to the Mercury Control Ordinance (Cap. 640) and represents the second batch of products being brought under regulation to align with Minamata Convention requirements, including certain electronic/electrical/lighting products and cosmetics.
Hong Kong issued a commencement notice (gazetted 26 March 2026) to bring into force new/expanded controls under the Mercury Control Ordinance (Cap. 640) for eight mercury-added product categories adopted under Minamata Convention COP5 amendments. The notice sets staged commencement (prohibition on manufacture/import/export after commencement, with limited allowances as specified) including: 27 March 2026 for certain button zinc silver oxide/zinc air batteries with mercury content <2 wt% and certain high-accuracy measurement bridges and RF switches/relays (≤20 mg Hg) and certain cosmetics (with specified trace/preservative exceptions); 31 December 2026 for specified compact fluorescent and halophosphate fluorescent lamps; and 31 December 2027 for specified triband phosphor fluorescent lamps. A grace period for supply/sale is stated through 31 January 2029, after which supply may be prosecuted. This is a jurisdictional implementation action aligning Hong Kong controls with Minamata COP5 Annex A changes (and related applicability for PRC/HKSAR).
Starting March 2027, new facilities and those making major changes in Australia must use Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) to control and reduce mercury emissions, implementing Minamata Convention Article 8 requirements. Regulations cover mercury releases into land and water. Facilities using or emitting 5 kg or more of mercury per year must report to the National Pollutant Inventory.
Hong Kong appointed staggered commencement dates for regulation of eight additional mercury-added products under the Mercury Control Ordinance, implementing COP-5 amendments. Section 4(1) and (7) take effect March 27, 2026; Section 4(2), (3), and (5) take effect December 31, 2026; Section 4(4) and (6) take effect December 31, 2027. Products include certain electronic/electrical/lighting products and cosmetics.
The UN Depositary issued the formal notification of amendments to Annex A adopted at the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-6). This starts the one-year period during which Parties may notify non-acceptance. For Parties that do not opt out, the amendments will enter into force on 23 March 2027 (per the notification). Compliance teams supporting Minamata obligations should track whether jurisdictions of interest lodge non-acceptance or require an additional instrument (for Parties with relevant declarations), and prepare for downstream national implementing measures reflecting the Annex A changes (e.g., mercury-added product controls such as dental amalgam and lamp-related provisions as referenced in COP-6 materials).
The UN Secretary-General (Depositary) issued Depositary Notification C.N.114.2026.TREATIES-XXVII.17 communicating that COP-6 adopted amendments to Annex A (decision MC/COP.6/Dec.3). The notification explains the Article 27 procedure: Parties have one year from the date of the depositary communication to notify non-acceptance; otherwise, the amendment enters into force for Parties that do not object after that one-year period (with special handling for Parties that made an Article 30(5) declaration). This is a formal treaty-level legal update and a compliance-tracking trigger for Parties and stakeholders supporting implementation planning.
The UN Depositary notified that China withdrew its prior notification of non-acceptance of the COP-5 amendments to Annexes A and B. As a result, the COP-5 Annex A/B amendments entered into force for China on the date of withdrawal indicated in the notification. Organizations operating in or trading with China should monitor domestic implementing measures and compliance expectations reflecting applicability of the amended Minamata Annex A/B obligations in China (including product and process controls covered by those annexes).
China has officially accepted the Minamata Convention COP-5 amendments to Annexes A and B by withdrawing its notification of non-acceptance on March 2, 2026. This brings China into alignment with the global mercury phase-out requirements adopted at COP-5, including restrictions on mercury-added batteries, switches, relays, fluorescent lamps, and cosmetics, as well as manufacturing process phase-outs for polyurethane production and sodium/potassium methylate/ethylate production. Parties that do not opt out within one year of the amendment's adoption are bound by the amendments.
A UN Depositary notification states that China withdrew its previous notification of non-acceptance of the Minamata Convention amendments to Annexes A and B adopted by COP-5 (Decision MC-5/4). As a result, the amendments entered into force for China on 2 March 2026 (and are stated to apply to Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR). This changes the applicability timeline of the COP-5 Annex A/B controls for China/HK/Macao and is a key compliance trigger for entities operating in or supplying these jurisdictions.
The COP-6 amendments to Annex A, including the dental amalgam phase-out provisions, will enter into force on March 23, 2027—one year from the date of communication by the Depositary. This marks the date when the amendments become legally binding on Parties that have not submitted a notification of non-acceptance under Article 27, paragraph 3(c) of the Convention. While the phase-out deadline for dental amalgam is 2034, the March 2027 entry-into-force date triggers implementation obligations including national reporting and planning requirements. Parties must begin preparing national action plans or progress reports on dental amalgam phase-down as required by the amended Part II of Annex A.
The Minamata Convention Secretariat published the budget/programme of work for the 2026–2027 biennium, including planned activities supporting implementation (e.g., COP-7 resourcing, Implementation and Compliance Committee work, capacity-building/technical assistance, effectiveness evaluation activities, and national reporting support). While not a new binding requirement for regulated entities, this official programme-of-work publication can influence timing/availability of future guidance, reporting support, and implementation/enforcement capacity across Parties.
The UK has enacted the Control of Mercury (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/1255), implementing decisions from COP-4 and COP-5 of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The regulations phase out various mercury-added products including compact fluorescent lamps, linear fluorescent lamps, cold cathode fluorescent lamps, strain gauges, mercury vacuum pumps, and tyre balancers with staggered deadlines through December 31, 2027. The regulations apply to England, Wales, and Scotland, with Northern Ireland following EU Mercury Regulation under the Windsor Framework.
Skipped because the research indicates an implementation action, but available sources in the registry do not include the statutory instrument text itself; only an explanatory memorandum and a Welsh Government written statement are provided. (If needed, keep as an announcement; however, dates and scope are still clearly stated in official sources.)
Great Britain made The Control of Mercury (Amendment) Regulations 2025, amending the Control of Mercury framework to update restrictions/phase-out dates for mercury-added products (including certain lamp categories and specified measuring/industrial devices as described in the research summary). This is relevant to “Mercury Free” compliance because it tightens or updates product phase-out timelines and restrictions, requiring affected manufacturers/importers/distributors to transition to mercury-free alternatives and manage inventory/sales in line with the amended dates.
At its sixth meeting (COP-6), the Conference of the Parties granted the first-ever extensions to exemptions from phase-out dates listed in Annex A. Decision MC-6/7 addressed extension requests from three Parties (Bangladesh, Thailand, and one other) pursuant to paragraph 6 of Article 6 of the Convention. Revised exemption extension requests from two of the three Parties were approved after they provided additional information demonstrating the basis for extension. This decision establishes precedent for how the Convention handles exemption extension requests from Parties requiring additional time to comply with phase-out requirements. Compliance teams should verify whether their operating jurisdictions have registered exemptions or received extensions that affect their product compliance timelines.