The First Meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) to Review and Assess Measures to Address the Global Issue of Mercury convened from 12-16 November 2007, in Bangkok, Thailand.

The meeting was being convened in response to decision GC24/3 IV taken at the 24th Session of the UNEP Governing Council (GC), calling for the development of an overarching policy framework for the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership. Over 250 representatives from governments, regional economic integration organizations and stakeholder representatives are attending the meeting. The OEWG reviewed options for enhanced voluntary measures and new or existing international legal instruments on mercury. The meeting agreed on intersessional work to be completed by the Secretariat in seven areas, including: providing information on financial considerations of a free-standing convention, a new protocol to the Stockholm Convention and voluntary measures; providing information on the ways in which sustainable technology transfer and support could be facilitated for global mercury control actions; analysis of implementation options; organization of response measures; analysis of costs and benefits for each of the strategic objectives; analysis on meeting demand of mercury if primary production is phased out; preparation of a paper on major mercury containing products and processes with effective substitutes; and providing information on funding available through the Global Environment Facility and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management.
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