Kick-off meeting on reduction of mercury emissions and promotion of sound chemical management in zinc smelting operations was held in Beijing on September 12-13, 2012. Ms. Fang Li, Deputy Director  General of FECO, Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), Mr. Edward Clarence-Smith, representative of UNIDO China office and Ms. Zhang Jieqing, Director of International Cooperation Department, MEP attended the meeting and delivered speeches. The meeting was attended by more than 50 people from organizations and departments such as UNIDO,  Hunan EPB, Shanxi EPB, the Secretariat office of GEF, Tsinghua University, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Renmin University of China, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongnan University, China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, Zhuzhou Smelter Group Co., Ltd, Hunan Shui Kou Shan Nonferrous Metals Group Co., Ltd, and Shangluo Zinc smelting factory of Shanxi Zinc Smelting Co., Ltd. 
 

Project background, Objectives, main activities and outputs were introduced in the meeting and the participating organizations had respectively presented their current work in mercury control. Outline of work plan, budget and 1st year work plan were discussed. 
 

The project was jointly applied to GEF by FECO and UNIDO, it is the first approved mercury-related project on heavy metal in the world. The implementation period of this project is 2 years. The project will start with investigating the current status of mercury control and management technology in the Zinc smelting industry both at home and abroad, conduct pilot projects in three zinc smelting enterprises on BAT/BEP, formulate China’s BAT/BEP application guidelines, and finally submit a proposal of national policies indicating mercury control.