Geneva, Switzerland — In a landmark decision, today the Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP-6) of the Minamata Convention invited the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention on Mercury to work with Interpol, the World Customs Organisation and others to investigate the manufacture, import and export of mercury-added cosmetics. COP-6 also decided to work towards closing the loopholes legally allowing mercury compounds to be traded, as this is compromising the Convention’s objective, particularly related to lacing cosmetics with mercury.
The overall goal of the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership is to protect human health and the environment from the releases of mercury.