Experts from 16 countries around the globe gathered in Panama to accelerate the elimination of mercury from skin-lightening products.
The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Global Mercury Partnership (GMP), and the Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) organized regional and global workshops under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project "Eliminating Mercury Skin-Lightening Products", which is being implemented in Gabon, Jamaica, and Sri Lanka.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Minamata Convention, in decision MC-6/4, requested the GEF project partners to compile the project’s key achievements — including the global skin-lightening product database, chemical analysis arrangements, and model legislation — and to present lessons learned and proposed future strategies for consideration at COP-7 in September 2027.
Based on the discussions held during these workshops, the Secretariat will invite Parties to submit information on challenges in eliminating mercury-added cosmetics, as part of the follow-up to decision MC-6/4.
Check the Minamata Convention Secretariat's photos of the Regional Workshop on Eliminating Mercury in Skin-Lightening Products.
This story was first published on the Minamata Convention website.
