Digital Innovation for MEAs: Knowledge Platforms and AI | Minamata Online

This event will discuss how digital strategies, interoperable data and responsible AI are strengthening the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements. The session is part of the Minamata Online series, and co-organized by the Minamata Convention and the Geneva Environment Network.

About this Event

Multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) generate and manage growing volumes of information, from decisions and national reports to scientific and technical data, guidance, project information and implementation experiences. The challenge is increasingly not only to make this information available, but also to ensure that it is structured, accessible, interoperable and reusable. Digital transformation therefore offers important opportunities to strengthen institutional knowledge, improve access to information and support more effective implementation of environmental commitments.

Cooperation across MEAs is particularly important in this context. Initiatives such as InforMEA, the United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements, provide a common framework for connecting information and knowledge across environmental agreements. Shared taxonomies, data standards and interoperable systems can help reduce duplication and make information easier to discover and use across institutional boundaries. At the same time, emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, are opening new possibilities for knowledge discovery and analysis, while raising important questions around data governance, quality, transparency and human oversight.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury provides a practical example of this evolving approach. Building on its Digital Strategy, the Secretariat is developing a more integrated digital ecosystem to support Parties and stakeholders. Current initiatives include a decision-tracking mechanism to make decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties more structured, searchable and easier to follow over time, as well as the Minamata Convention Exchange Platform, conceived as a user-centred knowledge system for accessing and exchanging scientific, technical, legal and implementation-related information. Interoperability with platforms such as InforMEA and other authoritative data sources is a core principle of this work.

This Minamata Online session is taking place following the UN Digital Cooperation Day 2026, organized by the United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies. It will bring together representatives from MEA secretariats, InforMEA and governments to share practical experiences with digital platforms, knowledge tools and emerging technologies. The discussion will explore what MEAs can learn from each other; how interoperability, shared standards and digital cooperation can improve access to and use of environmental information; and where responsible applications of AI could add value. It will also consider opportunities for greater collaboration, with the aim of identifying approaches and lessons that can be transferred across MEAs while avoiding duplication and keeping digital solutions focused on the needs of Parties and users.