1. The measures in this Article and in Annex C shall apply to artisanal and small-scale gold mining and processing in which mercury amalgamation is used to extract gold from ore. 2. Each Party that has artisanal and small-scale gold mining and processing subject to this Article within its territory shall take steps to reduce, and where feasible eliminate, the use of mercury and mercury compounds in, and the emissions and releases to the environment of mercury from, such mining and processing. 3. Each Party shall notify the Secretariat if at any time the Party determines that artisanal and small-scale gold mining and processing in its territory is more than insignificant. If it so determines the Party shall: (a) Develop and implement a national action plan in accordance with Annex C; (b) Submit its national action plan to the Secretariat no later than three years after entry into force of the Convention for it or three years after the notification to the Secretariat, whichever is later; and (c) Thereafter, provide a review every three years of the progress made in meeting its obligations under this Article and include such reviews in its reports submitted pursuant to Article 21 . 4. Parties may cooperate with each other and with relevant intergov­ernmental organizations and other entities, as appropriate, to achieve the objectives of this Article. Such cooperation may include: (a) Development of strategies to prevent the diversion of mercury or mercury compounds for use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining and processing; (b) Education, outreach and capacity-building initiatives; (c) Promotion of research into sustainable non-mercury alternative practices; (d) Provision of technical and financial assistance; (e) Partnerships to assist in the implementation of their com­mitments under this Article; and (f) Use of existing information exchange mechanisms to promote knowledge, best environmental practices and alternative technologies that are environmentally, technically, socially and economically viable.

1. This Article concerns controlling and, where feasible, reducing emissions of mercury and mercury compounds, often expressed as “total mercury”, to the atmosphere through measures to control emissions from the point sources falling within the source categories listed in Annex D. 2. For the purposes of this Article: (a) “Emissions ” means emissions of mercury or mercury compounds to the atmosphere; (b) “Relevant source ” means a source falling within one of the source categories listed in Annex D. A Party may, if it chooses, establish criteria to identify the sources covered within a source category listed in Annex D so long as those criteria for any category include at least 75 per cent of the emissions from that category; (c) “New source ” means any relevant source within a category listed in Annex D, the construction or substantial modification of which is commenced at least one year after the date of: (i) Entry into force of this Convention for the Party concerned; or (ii) Entry into force for the Party concerned of an amendment to Annex D where the source becomes subject to the provisions of this Convention only by virtue of that amendment; (d) “Substantial modification ” means modification of a relevant source that results in a significant increase in emissions, excluding any change in emissions resulting from by-product recovery. It shall be a matter for the Party to decide whether a modification is substantial or not; (e) “Existing source ” means any relevant source that is not a new source; (f) “Emission limit value ” means a limit on the concentration, mass or emission rate of mercury or mercury compounds, often expressed as “total mercury”, emitted from a point source. 3. A Party with relevant sources shall take measures to control emissions and may prepare a national plan setting out the measures to be taken to control emissions and its expected targets, goals and outcomes. Any plan shall be submitted to the Conference of the Parties within four years of the date of entry into force of the Convention for that Party . If a Party develops an implementation plan in accordance with Article 20 , the Party may include in it the plan prepared pursuant to this paragraph. 4. For its new sources, each Party shall require the use of best available techniques and best environmental practices to control and, where feasible, reduce emissions, as soon as practicable but no later than five years after the date of entry into force of the Convention for that Party . A Party may use emission limit values that are consistent with the application of best available techniques. 5. For its existing sources, each Party shall include in any national plan, and shall implement, one or more of the following measures, taking into account its national circumstances, and the economic and technical feasibility and affordability of the measures, as soon as practicable but no more than ten years after the date of entry into force of the Convention for it: (a) A quantified goal for controlling and, where feasible, reducing emissions from relevant sources; (b) Emission limit values for controlling and, where feasible, reducing emissions from relevant sources; (c) The use of best available techniques and best environmental practices to control emissions from relevant sources; (d) A multi-pollutant control strategy that would deliver co-benefits for control of mercury emissions; (e) Alternative measures to reduce emissions from relevant sources. 6. Parties may apply the same measures to all relevant existing sources or may adopt different measures in respect of different source categories. The objective shall be for those measures applied by a Party to achieve reasonable progress in reducing emissions over time. 7. Each Party shall establish, as soon as practicable and no later than five years after the date of entry into force of the Convention for it, and maintain thereafter, an inventory of emissions from relevant sources. 8. The Conference of the Parties shall, at its first meeting, adopt guidance on: (a) Best available techniques and on best environmental practices, taking into account any difference between new and existing sources and the need to minimize cross-media effects; and (b) Support for Parties in implementing the measures set out in paragraph 5 , in particular in determining goals and in setting emission limit values. 9. The Conference of the Parties shall, as soon as practicable, adopt guidance on: (a) Criteria that Parties may develop pursuant to paragraph 2 (b); (b) The methodology for preparing inventories of emissions. 10. The Conference of the Parties shall keep under review, and update as appropriate, the guidance developed pursuant to paragraphs 8 and 9 . Parties shall take the guidance into account in implementing the relevant provisions of this Article. 11. Each Party shall include information on its implementation of this Article in its reports submitted pursuant to Article 21 , in particular information concerning the measures it has taken in accordance with paragraphs 4 to 7 and the effectiveness of the measures.

1. This Article concerns controlling and, where feasible, reducing releases of mercury and mercury compounds, often expressed as “total mercury”, to land and water from the relevant point sources not addressed in other provisions of this Convention. 2. For the purposes of this Article: (a) “Releases ” means releases of mercury or mercury compounds to land or water; (b) “Relevant source ” means any significant anthropogenic point source of release as identified by a Party that is not addressed in other provisions of this Convention; (c) “New source ” means any relevant source, the construction or substantial modification of which is commenced at least one year after the date of entry into force of this Convention for the Party concerned; (d) “Substantial modification ” means modification of a relevant source that results in a significant increase in releases, excluding any change in releases resulting from by-product recovery. It shall be a matter for the Party to decide whether a modification is substantial or not; (e) “Existing source ” means any relevant source that is not a new source; (f) “Release limit value ” means a limit on the concentration or mass of mercury or mercury compounds, often expressed as “total mercury”, released from a point source. 3. Each Party shall, no later than three years after the date of entry into force of the Convention for it and on a regular basis thereafter, identify the relevant point source categories. 4. A Party with relevant sources shall take measures to control releases and may prepare a national plan setting out the measures to be taken to control releases and its expected targets, goals and outcomes. Any plan shall be submitted to the Conference of the Parties within four years of the date of entry into force of the Convention for that Party . If a Party develops an implementation plan in accordance with Article 20 , the Party may include in it the plan prepared pursuant to this paragraph. 5. The measures shall include one or more of the following, as appropriate: (a) Release limit values to control and, where feasible, reduce releases from relevant sources; (b) The use of best available techniques and best environmental practices to control releases from relevant sources; (c) A multi-pollutant control strategy that would deliver co-benefits for control of mercury releases; (d) Alternative measures to reduce releases from relevant sources. 6. Each Party shall establish, as soon as practicable and no later than five years after the date of entry into force of the Convention for it, and maintain thereafter, an inventory of releases from relevant sources. 7. The Conference of the Parties shall, as soon as practicable, adopt guidance on: (a) Best available techniques and on best environmental practices, taking into account any difference between new and existing sources and the need to minimize cross-media effects; (b) The methodology for preparing inventories of releases. 8. Each Party shall include information on its implementation of this Article in its reports submitted pursuant to Article 21 , in particular information concerning the measures it has taken in accordance with paragraphs 3 to 6 and the effectiveness of the measures.

1. Each Party shall report to the Conference of the Parties, through the Secretariat, on the measures it has taken to implement the provisions of this Convention and on the effectiveness of such measures and the possible challenges in meeting the objectives of the Convention. 2. Each Party shall include in its reporting the information as called for in Articles 3 , 5 , 7 , 8 and 9 of this Convention. 3. The Conference of the Parties shall, at its first meeting, decide upon the timing and format of the reporting to be followed by the Parties, taking into account the desirability of coordinating reporting with other relevant chemicals and wastes conventions.

1. The Conference of the Parties shall evaluate the effectiveness of this Convention, beginning no later than six years after the date of entry into force of the Convention and periodically thereafter at intervals to be decided by it. 2. To facilitate the evaluation, the Conference of the Parties shall, at its first meeting, initiate the establishment of arrangements for providing itself with comparable monitoring data on the presence and movement of mercury and mercury compounds in the environment as well as trends in levels of mercury and mercury compounds observed in biotic media and vulnerable populations. 3. The evaluation shall be conducted on the basis of available scientific, environmental, technical, financial and economic information, including: (a) Reports and other monitoring information provided to the Conference of the Parties pursuant to paragraph 2 ; (b) Reports submitted pursuant to Article 21 ; (c) Information and recommendations provided pursuant to Article 15 ; and (d) Reports and other relevant information on the operation of the financial assistance, technology transfer and capacity-building arrangements put in place under this Convention.

Parties are encouraged to take action to implement and support, including through results-based payments, the existing framework as set out in related guidance and decisions already agreed under the Convention for: policy approaches and positive incentives for activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries; and alternative policy approaches, such as joint mitigation and adaptation approaches for the integral and sustainable management of forests, while reaffirming the importance of incentivizing, as appropriate, non-carbon benefits associated with such approaches.