Indonesia organizes forum to enhance collaboration in fighting illegal mercury trade

As part of the efforts of the Bali declaration on combating the illegal trade in mercury, the government of Indonesia held on October 2 in Jakarta a forum on “Enhancing synergies and strengthening strategies to combat illegal mercury trade”.

The event featured a special recorded statement from the Executive Secretary of the Minamata Convention Monika Stankiewicz, who said: “I cannot emphasize enough how valuable it is to continue to learn from Indonesia on how you are addressing illegal trade in mercury. Understanding both what works and what does not work, and sharing experiences among countries, will help build our collective understanding of effective policies and actions for the future”.

This forum, part of Indonesia’s efforts to coordinate and enhance mercury control at national level, aimed to reinforce the commitment among national stakeholders to combat mercury illegal trade, a key obligation under the Minamata Convention. Attendees included the Deputy Minister of Environment and Forestry Alue Dohong, as well as the Director General of Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Substances Management, and former President of the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-4), Rosa Vivien Ratnawati.