The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. It was agreed at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Geneva, Switzerland at 7 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, 19 January 2013.
The major highlights of the Minamata Convention on Mercury include a ban on new mercury mines, the phase-out of existing ones, control measures on air emissions, and the international regulation of the informal sector for artisanal and small-scale gold mining.
Minamata Convention is not yet in force (it will enter into force 90 days after it has been ratified by 50 nations).
So far (February 2016), only the U.S. among the Arctic States has ratified the Convention. All the others, but Iceland, have signed it (but not ratified).