The call for a treaty to phase out the most harmful plastics and chemicals globally has been sounded at negotiations in Busan, South Korea. Photo credit: SPREP.
Countries representing over two billion people around the world are holding the line as they continue to retaliate that they will not accept a treaty that does not contain a clear, legally binding obligation to phase out the most harmful plastics and chemicals of concern.
With only hours left for negotiations at the fifth and final Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, the co-chair of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) to End Plastic Pollution, Rwanda, stresses the majority of nations negotiating in Busan, Republic of Korea, demand meaningful action.
“More than 120 countries have come together to support an ambitious treaty,” says Juliet Kabera, the lead negotiator of Rwanda.
“This level of alignment is unprecedented and reflects a shared understanding of the urgency of the plastic pollution crisis.”
“However, we voice our strong concerns about ongoing calls by a small group of countries to remove binding provisions from the text that are indispensable for the treaty to be effective.
“Ambition must be reflected throughout the treaty, covering binding provisions and support.”
Talks in Busan were meant to conclude negotiations and finalise the treaty text, yet the pace and progress of last week’s negotiations have been frustratingly slow and 175 countries attending the meeting have failed to resolve deep divisions.
High ambition countries, including many Pacific Island countries want a binding agreement to limit plastic production and phase out harmful chemicals in plastic, while like-minded countries, mainly oil- and gas-producing nations, want to focus on plastic waste management.
More than 900 independent scientists have signed a declaration calling negotiators to agree on a comprehensive and ambitious global plastics treaty, based on robust scientific evidence, to end plastic pollution by 2040.
According to the Scientists’ Declaration, the harm caused by plastic pollution cannot be prevented by improvements in waste management alone.
Dr Sivendra Michael, Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change says his country is already doing waste management efforts.
“This was not what the mandate (UNEA Resolution 5/14) had instructed us to negotiate.
“We have continuously called for inclusion and establishment of a clear legally binding obligations to phase out the most harmful plastic products and chemicals of concern.
“We have made it known, and we have repeatedly told each and every room that the special circumstances for Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries are not negotiable.”
Panama’s Special Representative for Climate Change, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez, who has made an impact on the plenary floor with his passionate statements has told delegates “history will not forgive us and if we don’t get an ambitious treaty out of Busan, it will be a global betrayal”.
“Everything we love is on the line, every reef, every river, every ocean, every life,” he says.
“This is not a drill. This is a fight for survival.
“Plastics for Panama are a weapon of mass destruction.
“Plastics are not convenient. Plastics are poison. Every plastic that we allow to produce without limits is a direct assault on our health, on our nature, and our children.
“For those blocking progress, you are allowing this crisis to fester, and it will kill us.”
Several nations have taken to the floor to support the call for more time, as the plenary session continues.
The fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment has been staged in Busan, Republic of Korea, from November 25 November to December 1, 2024.
The Pacific Islands are represented by the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu through the support of the Government of Australia and the United Nations.
They are supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), working with partners the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner (OPOC), The Pacific Community (SPC), Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL), University of Wollongong, WWF and Massey University.
Visit the UNEP website for more information.
