02 Nov 2022
13:30–14:45

Venue: International Environment House I, Room 3 & Online | Webex

Organization: Geneva Environment Network

This briefing on the 1st session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution (Plastic Pollution INC-1), taking place in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 28 November to 2 December, was held within the framework of the Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues.

About this Event

The United Nations Environment Assembly made history in March 2022, by adopting a resolution setting up the path to a global treaty to end plastic pollution.  The resolution requests the convening of an intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, during the second half of 2022, with the ambition of completing its work by the end of 2024.

Rather than the end of the journey, this resolution represents a new turning point, from which much work still has to be done. Through the Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues, the Geneva Environment Network and its partners support actors in the Geneva community and beyond, engaged in this process.

This event, held a few weeks ahead of the INC-1 session in Punta del Este, provided updates on the preparations of this important event and how stakeholders can engage in the process.

The Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues

The world is facing a plastic crisis, the status quo is not an option. Plastic pollution is a serious issue of global concern which requires an urgent and international response involving all relevant actors at different levels. Many initiatives, projects and governance responses and options have been developed to tackle this major environmental problem, but we are still unable to cope with the amount of plastic we generate. In addition, there is a lack of coordination which can better lead to a more effective and efficient response.

Various actors in Geneva are engaged in rethinking the way we manufacture, use, trade and manage plastics. The Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues aim at outreaching and creating synergies among these actors, highlighting efforts made by intergovernmental organizations, governments, businesses, the scientific community, civil society and individuals in the hope of informing and creating synergies and coordinated actions. The dialogues highlight what the different stakeholders in Geneva and beyond have achieved at all levels, present the latest research and governance options.

Following the landmark resolution adopted at UNEA-5 to end plastic pollution and building on the outcomes of the first two series, the third series of dialogues will encourage increased engagement of the Geneva community with future negotiations on the matter. These include the meetings of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee from the second half of 2022 to 2024, as well as preparatory meetings within the ad-hoc open-ended working group during the first half of 2022. The series also continues to foster stronger cooperation and coordinated actions ahead of other milestones in the environmental agenda, including the BRS COPs, SAICM ICCM5, the UN Ocean Conference, UNEA-6 and other processes in Geneva, such as at the WTO.

Speakers

By order of intervention.

Jyoti MATHUR-FILIPP

Executive Secretary, INC Plastic Pollution Secretariat

Valentina SIERRA

Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the United Nations in Geneva

Miguel LUÍS

Multilateral and Security Affairs, Embassy of Portugal in Kenya

H.E. Colin MURDOCH

Permanent Observer of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to the United Nations Office at Geneva

Andrés DEL CASTILLO

Senior Attorney, Environmental Health Program, Center for International Environmental Law

Rachel CROSSLEY

Head of Stewardship, Europe, Sustainability Centre, BNP Paribas Asset Management

Kamelia KEMILEVA

Co-director, Geneva Cities Hub

Damaris CARNAL

Switzerland’s Focal Point for United Nations Environment Programme & Plastic Pollution INC

Summary

Update on Preparations for INC-1 

Jyoti MATHUR-FILIPP | Executive Secretary, INC Plastic Pollution Secretariat

In March 2022, UNEA5 adopted a resolution which gave UNEP the mandate to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution addressing the full life cycle of plastics. UNEP was requested to convene an Ad-Hoc Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) in the first half of 2022 and an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) from the second half of 2022 to complete its work by the end of 2024. The resolution further requested to convene a Multi-Stakeholder Forum at INC-1 to exchange information amongst Member States and stakeholders. UNEP will also convene a diplomatic conference upon completion of the negotiations to adopt the instrument and open it for signature.

Paragraphs 3 and 4 of the resolution detail what the instrument will consider. This includes promotion of sustainable production and consumption of plastics (product design, environmentally sound waste management, resource efficiency and circular economy approaches), means of implementation (capacity building, technologies, technical and financial assistance ), monitoring and means of assessing the effectiveness and implementation, compliance, promotion of National Action Plans, research and innovation, and multi-stakeholder engagement, cooperation, coordination, and action at all levels to support effective implementation

The instrument will consider obligations, measures, and voluntary approaches in supporting the achievements of the instruments’ objectives. It will also look at finance mechanisms to support the implementation, including the consideration of a dedicated multilateral fund. The instrument should take national circumstances into account and set mechanisms for policy-relevant scientific and socio-economic information and assessment. Finally, it will look at lessons learnt and best practices.

In May 2022, UNEP convened the OEWG in Dakar, Senegal. They key outcomes were the indicative date and host for INC-1, guidance to the secretary to prepare documents for INC-1 and recommendations regarding the timetable and rules of procedure for the INC process. The proposed timeline for the INC process, which should hopefully be adopted at INC-1, is as follows:

  • INC-1 : 28 November to 2 December 2022, Punta del Este, Uruguay | Ahead of INC-1, the Multi-Stakeholder Forum will take on 26 November, followed by regional meetings and the meeting of the members nominated by their regions to the bureau on 27 November.
  • INC-2: week of 24 April 2023
  • INC-3: week of 20 November 2023
  • INC-4: early April 2024
  • INC-5: October – November 2024
  • Diplomatic Conference: mid-May 2025

The Executive Director will also report on the INC progress to UNEA-6, taking place during the week of 26 February 2024.

Regarding INC-1, the deadline for registration of participation by people who are not supported by UNEP has been extended to 7 November. Visa exemption letters for those who need them should be issued by Uruguay very soon. Currently, over 1203 people have registered for in-person participation, and 421 people for online participation. In total, this includes 569 representatives from Member States, 971 from major groups and stakeholders, 39 from IGOs, and 45 from the UN system.

The logistics note, regularly updated by the secretariat, provide all necessary information for the meeting. The conference will be plastic-free, so delegates are invited to bring their own reusable bottle. Transfer services will be available between the airport in Montevideo and Punta del Este, as well as from the city center to the venue. The accommodation list is available online; due to peak season I Uruguay, participants are encouraged to book hotels as early as possible. The meeting will be held in a hybrid format. The draft rules of procedure for the work of the INC are set out in document UNEP/PP/INC.1/3, as agreed by the OEWG. Member States should be prepared to finalize and adopt the rules of procedure under item 3 (a). The preliminary schedule to guide participants through the planning for the session is set out in Annex II of the Scenario Note.

As requested by the OEWG, the Secretariat has prepared 10 documents ahead of INC-1, which are all available in English on the INC website, with language versions to follow shortly. The provisional agenda and the suggested flow of the meeting are also available online. One of the most important items will be how the discussions will be structured under agenda item 4. Considerations include what should be included in the legally binding instrument and how could the process be structured to reach agreement by the end of 2024. A set of related questions are outlined in the scenario note as well as the order by which interventions will be taken. Possible outcomes of INC-1 are also outlined and identified in the scenario note. Delegates are invited to consult the scenario note and contact the Secretariat for any questions.

Valentina SIERRA | Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the United Nations in Geneva

The INC-1 will take place in Punta del Este, a city located 130 km from the capital Montevideo. Most delegates will arrive in Carrasco International Airport, which is approximatively 1h30 away from Punta del Este (transfer will be provided). An official hotel list has been made available, and daily transfer from these to the Punta del Este Convention & Exhibition Center. Punta del Este is a beautiful city with many attractions and activities including related to ecotourism. Temperatures in November and December are around 15 to 23° C. Information regarding COVID-19 regulations is provided in the information notes. Vaccination scheme, a proof of recovery or a negative COVID test are necessary to enter the country.

The INC-1 meeting will start on 26 November with the Multi-stakeholder Forum, an essential avenue as these negotiations will require the involvement of all stakeholders – the private sector, academia, NGOs, etc – to be successful. The Forum will have a plenary, and then breakup groups so we have the opportunity to talk with different stakeholders. Conclusions and suggestions from each group will be brought back to the plenary.

On 27 November, there will be a full day of regional meetings and bureau meetings. Then from 28 November to 2 December is the official meeting the INC. National authorities from Uruguay will be present in the opening, including the President Luis Lacalle Pou, the Minister of Environment Adrian Pena, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Bustillo. On Tuesday 29 November, Uruguay will host a reception for all delegates.

Finally, all attendees are invited to consult the dedicated website of the INC process developed by UNEP. It contains all relevant information, documents, and submissions. The Multi-stakeholder Forum also has its own website. The government of Uruguay and the people of Uruguay are looking forward to receiving delegates in their country. Uruguay is committed to have a very ambitious treaty and a very successful outcome.

Stakeholders Perspectives 

Ambition to End Plastic Pollution and Save our Ocean | Miguel LUÍS, Multilateral and Security Affairs, Embassy of Portugal in Kenya

Portugal was invested in the process to end plastic pollution since the first moment and has supported all prior resolution regarding marine litter and plastic pollution. Portugal will continue its engagement throughout the INC process. The deadline set by the UNEA resolution must be complied with, despite all the geopolitical challenges we face now.

In June 2021, the Embassy of Portugal in Nairobi, together with the Embassy of Chile, launched the Nairobi Group of Friends to combat marine litter and plastic pollution. This group was created with the aim of supporting ambitious action against marine litter and plastic pollution. The group organized various session ahead of UNEA-5 to build momentum for the now approved resolution. Portugal also had the chairmanship of the CPR in UNEA and thus played its part in the negotiations. The Nairobi Group of Friends is hosting a meeting on 17 November, 13.00 CET to explore the expectations of Member States and other stakeholders regarding INC-1.

In June 2022, Portgual also co-hosted with Kenya the second United Nations Ocean Conference, where marine pollution was one of the focus area. During this event, the vibrant commitment of all stakeholders on the issues related to pollution in the oceans was felt. The Lisbon Declaration called on government to do more to prevent, reduce and eliminate marine plastic litter by contributing to comprehensive lifecycle approaches, encouraging recycling and environmentally sound waste management. Besides, multiple voluntary commitments were made on this topic confirming the success of the conference.

Because of this national commitment, Portugal could only say yes when it was invited by Rwanda and Norway to join the High-Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution. The coalition gathers like-minded countries in the pursuit of an ambitious agreement. Earlier today, the coalition received with pleasure the announcement made by Capo Verde to join the coalition. Portugal would like to invite all countries to join the coalition.

Regarding INC-1, Portugal understands that an early agreement on the objective and scope of the instrument in broad terms is fundamental to ensure progress on the negotiations. As recognized in the resolution, a holistic approach looking at the full cycle of plastic is essential. Portugal also wants to guarantee that all the stakeholders are involved and welcomes the decision to include a representative of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on the Bureau of the INC as they are among the most affected by the crisis. Portugal also supports the engagement of youth, indigenous communities and other stakeholders.

There is an urgent need for change. The shocking photos we see of shores flooded with plastic waste should be a wake-up call. Communities which live in these polluted areas, and those in informal settlements, have no other option than using cheap plastics. These communities have no means to address this issue. It will be up to us in the following years to turn off the tap to stop plastic pollution, so that there will be no further harm to those most affected by unsustainable patterns of production and consumption. An Ambitious agreement together with ambitious action are the key to ensure that future generations can have a planet without plastic

The Small Islands and Developing States Perspective | H.E. Colin MURDOCH, Permanent Observer of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to the United Nations Office at Geneva

Antigua and Barbuda and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are hopeful that this event will move the discussion forward while we rightfully celebrate the agreement in Nairobi to negotiate a new international instrument. Small islands already feel the significant effects of marine plastic pollution; there is no time to waste. We need a creative international instrument that deals effectively with the complexity of the plastic pollution crisis, a crisis that is both environmental and economic problem. We have faced complexity, incomplete science, and tension between environmental protection and economic development in the past. Each time, we managed to create successful international agreements. As we move forward to negotiate a new agreement, four key elements need to be kept in mind.

Urgency. Existing plastic pollution is already impacting SISDs in very specific ways, including their tourism, economies, fisheries, health, and culture. It is not only about quickly negotiating a new agreement, but perhaps more importantly setting urgent near-term goals. Some may consider that a 2040 target to eliminate new plastic pollution is ambitious. However, for SISDs, this means 17 more years of pollution entering the environment, joining decades of plastic pollution already swimming around the oceans. We must set ambitious, achievable, and measurable goals that allow us to clearly track our trajectory to zero plastic pollution

Equity. We agree that it is counterproductive to only talk about recycling or waste management while leaving the tap of plastic pollution fully open. We must control reduce and eliminate the leakage of waste plastic and microplastics into our environment. SIDS propose that we must also recognize the decades of plastic pollution, the effect of which is disproportionately falling on SIDS. Remediation of existing pollution is currently difficult and expensive, but a just remediation is an essential element of the new agreement.

Effectiveness. In the past, multilateral environmental agreements which have been the most effective are those that address both the environmental problem and countries’ interests in solving the problem. SIDS have little engagement in producing raw material or designing plastic products. Most upstream activities where our most significant contribution can be is in waste management and recycling, as they are currently few recycling opportunities in SIDS and the cost of shipping plastic waste abroad for recycling makes our waste economically unviable.

Evolution. We will get one opportunity to negotiate this international instrument. History tells us that we almost never amend international environmental agreements. We must ensure that this agreement can evolve over time to confront changing science and economic realities. Therefore, it is essential that we include all relevant actors in the development of the agreement and in its implementation. While governments will need to play an essential role, we know that industry and civil society have knowledge, experience, and finance that governments don’t have. An agreement that includes these actors will be durable over time.

The Civil Society Perspective | Andrés DEL CASTILLO, Senior Attorney, Environmental Health Program, Center for International Environmental Law

This end of the year is truly important for the triple planetary crisis, as we have important global meetings for climate change, biodiversity, and pollution. And we know plastic is a vector of these crises. From the civil society perspective, it’s obvious we need to look upstream and close to tap by capping plastic production. Plastics are complex chemical mixtures, with more than 10’000 different substances used in plastics. About a quarter of them are substances of concern. For many more, hazard data is missing. As we head toward INC-1, two aspects are important to consider: chemical simplification and definitions.

The speed at which the global market for polymers and additive increases far outpaces the capacities for any chemical risk assessment. It is almost impossible to cover the estimated 200’000 polymers one by one, substance by substance. Therefore, one of the guiding stars for the negotiation should be chemical simplification. This idea seems rather simple, but it can be different to implement; but Member States must put the bar high. Chemical simplification means that the number of chemicals used in products, in particular consumer products, needs to be reduced. A second cornerstone is the grouping approach, which means chemicals are assessed by group, not by each substance. This necessary approach is for example already used in the EU. Group assessment allow to assess hazards information in a holistic manner, thus creating more consistent regulatory actions and avoiding regrettable substitutes. Other advantages of this method include avoiding duplicated data and saving time for governments to act instead of trying to chase after each substance.

A second crucial point to consider ahead of INC-1 is definitions. Working definitions used during negotiations are important to set up common ground. But we also know that working definitions are not always the same that those which end up in the text of a treaty. Before INC-1, CIEL will release a document on definitions, highlighting existing and suggested definitions of “plastics”, “plastic pollution”, and “full lifecycle”. There are already many definitions in the market related to the elements in of the future treaty – for example from ISO, OECD, EU, MEAs, etc.

Currently, there are three legally binding definitions of plastics: the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), the Harmonized System Convention, and the Mediterranean Action Plan – Barcelona Convention System. These could serve as a starting point; but we need to ensure we differentiate between plastics as products and plastics as materials. Regarding plastic pollution, the OECD defines it broadly as “all emissions and risks resulting from plastics during its production, use, waste management and leakage”. This definition is a good starting point, because we need to define plastic pollution within the scope of its full life cycle, otherwise it will fail to address the crisis we are facing. If we define plastic pollution as waste, we will only be overing the downstream part of the problem. Finally, we need to define “full lifecycle”, recognizing that the lifecycle of plastics starts in extraction and sourcing. We may talk now about oil and gas; in some years, we may talk about crops. We need to give the governing body the ability to act on this in the future. This does not mean prioritizing extraction, but really recognizing that sourcing is part of the problem we need to address.

The Private Sector Perspective | Rachel CROSSLEY, Head of Stewardship, Europe, Sustainability Centre, BNP Paribas Asset Management

BNP Paribas Asset Management is a global asset manager with around 500 billion euros in assets under management from pension funds, insurance funds, and individual investors. BNP Paribas is member of the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty. So why does a major global investor like BNP Paribas supports the development of this treaty?

BNP Paribas recognizes that facing many critical environmental and social crises that threaten to undermine the quality of life for current and future generations. These crises generate global long-term risks to our economies and societies which can affect the long-term term financial returns of investments. They can even threaten the stability of the global financial system. Therefore, BNP Paribas consider it has a duty to act and has made a series of clear and public commitments to use all levers at its disposal as an investor to drive the energy transition, tackle climate change, reduce the impacts of companies on biodiversity and promote equality and inclusivity.

As a large global investor, BNP Paribas is a “universal owner”, in the sense that it invests globally and across all sectors. Therefore, the negative impacts an individual company can have negative knock-on effects on many other companies in its investment portfolios. As the cumulative negative effects can build into systemic impacts and risks, it is in the investors and clients’ interests to work to reduce and ideally eliminate these negative impacts. Therefore, it makes complete sense to support international efforts to tackle all forms of pollution, particularly the scourge of plastic pollution.

As plastic pollution is a global system issue, engaging one-by-one with individual companies to secure changes in their policies and practices in not enough. Therefore, BNP Paribas works with other like-minded investors and stakeholders to change the rules of the game and use its influence to help share the markets. This is the reason BNP Paribas joined the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty.

BNP Paribas hopes that the treaty will provide two things that investors and companies crave and thrive on: certainty and consistency. The vision of the Business Coalition is to reduce plastic production and use by moving to a circular economy model, focusing particularly on fossil-fuel-based, short-lived plastics that have high leakage rates. Plastic items that cannot be eliminated should be kept in the economy at their highest value. Prevention and remediation, including robust waste management practices and tackling the legacy of plastic pollution, are also essential.

To conclude, here is the ABC’s of what a successful treaty should entail: an Ambitious timeline to phase out problematic plastics, Binding components as voluntary measures are insufficient, a shift to a Circular material system, based on Data and credible independent science, Enforced effectively by Member States, Far-reaching as to tackle the whole value chain, with a Global scope and Harmonized rules and regulations across jurisdictions, creating Incentives for private sector investment and government support in efficient solutions, and adopting a Just approach with provisions to protect and respect the livelihoods, health and human rights of all people involved in the value chain of plastics.

The Cities and Local Governments Perspective | Kamelia KEMILEVA, Co-director, Geneva Cities Hub

The resolution to end plastic pollution is a very positive step for the humanity but this can only happen with the full involvement of all stakeholders. The Geneva Cities Hub aims to better connect local and regional governments to multilateral processes and believes that these actors are instrumental for any plastic pollution discussion and implementation of measures. That’s because cities authorities are responsible for collection point, waste management, and are on the spot line for urban health issues, including those related to microplastics in the environment.

The scope of the mandate of the INC is very large and includes consideration of circular economy solutions, and hence investments in cities. An important point is that, even if States negotiate and ratify a perfect and strong treaty on plastic pollution, they will experience major difficulties to reach their objectives they do not embrace cities as partners from the beginning. Negotiating together and implementing together is the only path to success. States and cities should work across borders. Cooperation is not only needed within the national borders, but also internationally. For example, when French supermarkets decided to ban single-use packaging but supermarkets in Geneva did not do so, the environment effect of the ban was limited as French and Swiss residents shop across borders. Thus, France as a State was brought to work with Geneva as a canton and city because of the Swiss federal structure.

As we speak about international legally binding instrument, multilateral traditions understand it as an inter-state process where eventually cities and their networks can hold an exposition stand or a side event area and be invited to make a statement from time to time. But they stay outside the negotiation area. This is for example what is going on all the environmental COPs, as cities are left behind closed doors. The Geneva Cities Hub believes that this is not enough anymore. Cities are main actors when it comes to plastic pollution. In a similar manner to climate change and other global challenges, cities are the main contributors to plastic pollution, given people’s concentration and their dense infrastructure. However, cities are also the main actor to address plastic pollution, given their innovation potential and broad scale impact. Therefore, they must be included as partners and actors of the negotiation process.

Here are some concrete proposals of how cities can participate in all the negotiations:

  1. States might easily establish a procedure of cities-oriented consultation, say once before and once after each round of negotiations to keep in touch and consult with cities.
  2. States might think about direct content of the treaty addressed to city action and secure that capacity building could be delivered at subnational level. It is true that modern treaty negotiation opens many inclusive ways (through voluntary mechanisms and reviews for example) to include other stakeholders than States. This does not contradict the fact that States remain primarily responsible for treaty negotiation and implementation, but it enlarges the scope of obligation recipients and bearers to the subnational authorities who can only help States as they play in the same team.
  3. Cities direct participation could be possible through including them in national Member States delegations. Better, they can be given a status to participate in the negotiation as observers. There are some formalities to be sorted out such as the number of cities and how to get an observer status concretely. But, again, these are small pebbles in our shoes, the UN system have already found ways to actively include NGOs, experts, even businesses, so why not cities?
  4. Finally, any of the above can be combined with a dedicated space on the website of the secretariat where all interested cities can publish their best practice and/or recommendations about the ongoing negotiation. This method of sharing information within a concrete negotiation have been proved precious in many treaties and processes negotiations.

The Geneva Cities Hub is happy to work with Member states and secretariat for any of the above.

Q & A 

The host shared an information about the third meeting of the Basel Convention Plastic Waste Partnership Working Group, which will take place also in Punta Del Este in Uruguay on 23-25 November.

Q: Is it necessary to represent an accredited organization to participate in the stakeholders consultation that are taking place virtually 1?

Jyoti MATHUR-FILIPP: Participation to the INC-1 multi-stakeholder dialogue is limited to accredited organizations. UNEP had encouraged organizations to apply early as they are using the MEA accreditation process. For online registration in events at the margins at the INC-1, accreditation is not necessary.

H.E. Colin MURDOCH: How difficult will this process be ? I think we need to look at the complexity of plastics and how difficult it will be to come up with this treaty. A few elements matter here. First, there is no chairman yet for the INC-1. Yet, leadership matters. You can’t measure or count it, but it matters to the success and the outcome. Secondly, it seems that geopolitics has inserted itself into the process and the Russian Federation has objected to any member of the EU being on the Bureau. This adds to the complexity of what is achievable in Punta del Este. We ought to take very careful account of the obstacles in front of us and how we can go about surmounting these obstacles to achieve our objective.

Closing | Damaris CARNAL, Switzerland’s Focal Point for United Nations Environment Programme & Plastic Pollution INC

Switzerland would like to thank the organizers of the event for bringing us together and for making sure that the work we’re doing is known to ensure accountability in the process. Switzerland also thanks the INC Secretariat and Uruguay for the preparations of INC-1. To summarize key points from this session:

  • Portugal reminded us that we have many instruments, many friends, many opportunities to bring ambition and to try to rally troops as we move towards the negotiations. We had a high spirit in Nairobi, but the work ahead is probably going to be more complicated. We will need a lot of friends, and different ways of engaging.
  • E. Amb. Murdoch brought the SIDS perspective with words of wisdom. We know that the urgency is there. We talk about 2040, and we have the impression that it is ambitious. But everyday, plastic pollution continues and the legacy of pollution we already have to deal with is overwhelming.
  • Civil society reminded us that complexity is a reality. However, this should also be not an impediment to action but rather a call to creativity. Without civil society, we are not going to be able to do it. Civil society needs to hold governments and the private sector accountable and not let greenwashing go forward.
  • It is also important that the private sector is engaging, as BNP Paribas highlighted. The treaty will not be able to solve everything. We need the investments to go in the right direction. For that, we need to have global rules to make sure that we steer things in the right direction
  • Finally, the Geneva Cities Hub reminded us that we need to make sure that what we do is implemented. We need to be inclusive and bring in stakeholders to the table of negotiation. This is important for cities, but also beyond for all stakeholders.

To conclude, we need no less than a system change. We heard from all today that we need a life cycle approach, which includes mid- and upstream. We cannot leave the tap open. We need to reduce production if we want to solve the problem, even if of course we will need more circularity and safe circularity. The health problem is also an important aspect to consider. A multi-stakeholder approach is also essential because of the complexity of the plastic crisis. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach

We are now drafting a treaty. We now need global rules, because voluntary and national approaches have not led us to where we want. While SIDS are bearing the brunt of plastic pollution, we need to do better in a coordinate and legally binding manner. The leadership and the chairmanship of this process will also be very important. There’s a responsibility of all stakeholders, but governments are responsible to ensure that we have a functioning Bureau and a Chair for this process. This is something we need to take seriously and this needs to happen as soon as possible.

Highlights

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Other INC-1 Related Events

The Secretariat of the INC is also hosting a series of technical briefings ahead of INC1:

The High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution is hosting a special session in Geneva:

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