Muscat, The Environment Authority today organized a workshop launching countrywide initial assessment of mercury and its compounds in the Sultanate of Oman.

The workshop seeks to enhance national capabilities for the implementation of future provisions of the Minimata Mercury Assessment Convention, which stems from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It looks into issues of concern and explores opportunities for the establishment of a network for the exchange of related information and experiences among member states.

Dr. Ahmed Nassir Al Bakri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources for Agriculture, the chief guest, said that the workshop reaffirms Oman’s commitment to the international convention on mercury due to the significance of the substance in everyday life.

Held in cooperation with the UNEP and the Minimata Convention secretariat, the two-day workshop sees the participation of signatory Arab states alongside the national team representing the departments concerned in Oman.

The workshop comprises a set of papers on the Minimata Convention’s guiding principles and the latest developments in the implementation of the international convention.

Oman joined the Minimata Convention under the provisions of Royal Decree No. 58/2020. It reflects the country’s keenness on the unification of the international community’s efforts to achieve the overall goal of protecting the environment and shielding human health against all pollution hazards.

Source: Oman News Agency