The Minamata Convention on Mercury entered into force on August 16, 2017, and the first conference (COP1) was held in Geneva in late September. China is a Party to the Convention and an active participant. At COP 1, the Parties adopted guidance covering many of the control measures under the Convention, such as guidance on air emission controls, identifying sources of mercury supply, and regulating mercury trade. The Parties also established a reporting mechanism for the Convention, which is necessary to monitor compliance and effectiveness. NRDC drafted a position paper for the Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG), an international coalition of over 95 public interest environmental and health non-governmental organizations from more than 50 countries from around the world. The position paper covered key issues at the meeting, including how frequently countries must report on mercury supply and trade, whether and how countries must provide data on air emissions, the process and methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of the Convention, and the guidelines for safe mercury storage. In addition, NRDC senior attorney David Lennett, delivered a speech at the meeting, arguing for a robust reporting mechanism under the Convention.