Press Release
October 20, 2025
- Health & Chemicals
Participation of High School Students from Minamata City in the Sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP6) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury
1. The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP6) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 3 to 7, 2025.
2. On the occasion of this meeting, two students of Minamata High School in Kumamoto Prefecture will participate in the side event to introduce an initiatives on mercury awareness in the High School to participants of the meeting, views will be exchanged on mercury-related issues, and messages will be delivered from youth in Minamata.
3. In collaboration with the High School, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), Japan has hosted the “Youth Dialogue on Mercury”, an exchange event with overseas schools, online four times, where activities on mercury by participating students were shared and views on mercury-related issues were exchanged. This is the first in-person Youth Dialogue on Mercury.
4. MOE Japan will continue to actively promote the Minamata Convention through initiatives that encourage youth engagement in addressing mercury-related issues.
2. On the occasion of this meeting, two students of Minamata High School in Kumamoto Prefecture will participate in the side event to introduce an initiatives on mercury awareness in the High School to participants of the meeting, views will be exchanged on mercury-related issues, and messages will be delivered from youth in Minamata.
3. In collaboration with the High School, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), Japan has hosted the “Youth Dialogue on Mercury”, an exchange event with overseas schools, online four times, where activities on mercury by participating students were shared and views on mercury-related issues were exchanged. This is the first in-person Youth Dialogue on Mercury.
4. MOE Japan will continue to actively promote the Minamata Convention through initiatives that encourage youth engagement in addressing mercury-related issues.
Background
At the Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the “Minamata Convention on Mercury”, held in Kumamoto City and Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture in October 2013, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), Japan declared the “MOYAI Initiative” which focused on “Supporting overseas countries” and “Voices and Messages from Minamata”, and has implemented activities.
As a part of the “Voices and Messages from Minamata”, MOE Japan has held events related to the Minamata Convention and delivered messages to the world in collaboration with Kumamoto Prefecture, Minamata City, junior high schools in Minamata City, and Minamata High School in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Since 2022, to encourage youth engagement in mercury-related issues, the “Youth Dialogue on Mercury”, an annual online event where researches, awareness-raising and other activities on mercury-related issues, implemented by students of Minamata High School and high-school students in overseas countries, mainly in Asia, have been introduced, and views are exchanged towards solving the issues, has been held (four times, and the results have been disclosed on the website of the Minamata Convention Secretariat).
As a part of the “Voices and Messages from Minamata”, MOE Japan has held events related to the Minamata Convention and delivered messages to the world in collaboration with Kumamoto Prefecture, Minamata City, junior high schools in Minamata City, and Minamata High School in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Since 2022, to encourage youth engagement in mercury-related issues, the “Youth Dialogue on Mercury”, an annual online event where researches, awareness-raising and other activities on mercury-related issues, implemented by students of Minamata High School and high-school students in overseas countries, mainly in Asia, have been introduced, and views are exchanged towards solving the issues, has been held (four times, and the results have been disclosed on the website of the Minamata Convention Secretariat).
Outline of the event
In the forthcoming event, the first in-person “Global Youth Dialogue on Mercury” will be held by MOE Japan, the United Nations Chemicals and Waste Youth Platform (CWYP), and the Minamata Convention Secretariat, where two students of Minamata High School will make presentation on activities of the High School, and views will be exchanged on promoting the youth engagement in mercury-related issues. Moreover, in the Knowledge Labs, a special session hosted by the Minamata Convention Secretariat, where countries and organizations will make presentations on their initiatives, students of Minamata High School will also make presentations on activities of the High School, and messages will be delivered from youth in Minamata. In addition, visits to international organizations in Geneva, related to chemicals and environmental health fields, and exchange with their staffs are scheduled.
(1) Global Youth Dialogue on Mercury
・Date: November 2, 2025 (time to be determined)
・Venue: International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG)
・Organizers: Ministry of the Environment of Japan
United Nations Chemicals and Waste Youth Platform (CWYP)
Minamata Convention Secretariat
・Participants: Two students of Minamata High School
Youths from around the world
・Venue: International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG)
・Organizers: Ministry of the Environment of Japan
United Nations Chemicals and Waste Youth Platform (CWYP)
Minamata Convention Secretariat
・Participants: Two students of Minamata High School
Youths from around the world
(2) Knowledge Labs
・ Date: November 4, 2025 18:00-18:45 (planned)
・ Venue: International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG)
・ Organizers: Minamata Convention Secretariat
・ Participants: Two students of Minamata High School
(3) Visit to international organizations in Geneva and exchange with staff
・Date: November 3 and 4, 2025
・Organizations to be visited:
The Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Geneva.
United Nations Office at Geneva
World Health Organization (WHO), and others
・Participants: Two students of Minamata High School
・Organizations to be visited:
The Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Geneva.
United Nations Office at Geneva
World Health Organization (WHO), and others
・Participants: Two students of Minamata High School
Contact
Office of Mercury and International Chemicals Management, Environmental Health Department, Ministry of the Environment, Japan
- Direct number
- +81-3-5521-8260
- e-mail：
- suigin@env.go.jp