Here in Geneva, governments are negotiating a global, legally-binding mercury treaty, and lots of discussions are going on about what governments will commit to doing in the future. But even though the treaty is still not complete, governments and others have been working to address the mercury problem on a voluntary basis since 2005, in part through so-called mercury partnerships. These partnerships include seven priority action areas, each focusing on a main sources of mercury. Here are links to information about the partnership areas:

• Reducing Mercury in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining
• Mercury Control from Coal Combustion
• Mercury Reduction in Chlor-alkali 
• Mercury Reduction in Products
• Mercury Air Transport and Fate Research
• Mercury Waste Management
• Mercury Supply and Storage

Current partners include governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and others.  A list of the current partners is available here.  Individuals or entities who would like to become partners can join by submitting a letter and registration form to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) [pdf].