A non-governmental organisation has called for establishment of strong and ambitious treaty on plastics.
World Wide Fund for Nature global plastics policy lead Eirik Lindebjerg said the treaty must not compromise on establishing global and binding rules across plastics’ entire lifecycle.
“After days of complaints of agonisingly slow and unproductive discussions in contact groups, the chair is responding to the frustration shown at yesterday’s plenary session where many negotiators made impassioned pleas…” he said.
“The business at hand is making sure we leave Busan with a strong treaty that does not compromise on establishing global and binding rules across plastics’ entire lifecycle.”
Lindebjerg said with less than 24 hours to ensure all core measures are included, negotiators should use contact groups to push through robust and ambitious measures backed by science to end plastic pollution.
“Majority of countries know what these are and they have already professed their support for such measures – what we want to see from them now is the courage to see their ambition through,” he said.
The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5), opened on November 25 in Busan, Korea.
The session seeks to conclude negotiations and finalise the text of the agreement.
The session, which will end on December 1, seeks to finalise and approve the text of the instrument. INC-5 follows four earlier rounds of negotiations: INC-1, which took place in Punta del Este in November 2022, INC-2, which was held in Paris in June last year, INC-3, which happened in Nairobi in November last year and INC-4, held in Ottawa in April.
“Not a single person on this planet wants to witness plastic in their communities or washing up on their shores. Not a single person wants chemical-laced plastic particles in their bloodstreams, organs or their unborn babies,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme.
“We have a historic moment to end the world’s plastic pollution crisis and protect our environment, our health and our future. Our job in Busan this week is clear: agree to a treaty that puts us on the road to delivering a plastic pollution free future once and for all.”
INC-5 was preceded by a series of ministerial meetings, regional consultations and a conversation with observers. More than 3,800 participants have registered to participate in INC-5 – the highest number of the five meetings – representing more than 170 countries and more than 600 observer organisations.
WWF has called on governments
to secure a treaty that includes four
essential binding global measures
across the entire plastic lifecycle.
It wants global bans and phaseouts of the most harmful and problematic plastic products to ensure
all plastic produced is safe to reuse
and recycle.