This Convention is on the Order Papers of both Houses of Parliament for approval in terms of section 327 of the Constitution during their sittings in the period 1st to 3rd December 2020.
Zimbabwe signed the Convention in October 2013, but needs to ratify the Convention in order to become a full party, and bound by the obligations created by the Convention. Major highlights of the Convention include a ban on new mercury mines, the phase-out of existing ones, the phase out and phase down of mercury use in a number of products and processes, control measures on emissions to air and on releases to land and water, and the regulation of the informal sector of artisanal and small-scale gold mining. The Convention also addresses interim storage of mercury and its disposal once it becomes waste, sites contaminated by mercury as well as health issues.
