The INC-5 negotiations in Busan, South Korea, aimed at creating the first legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution, have ended without agreement, albeit with a follow-up session planned for 2025.
A statement on the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) website noted that a ‘Chair’s text’ agreed at the session will serve as a starting point for negotiations next year.
Sticking points
Limits on global plastic production, the proposed introduction of legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used in plastic packaging, and the overall scope of the treaty were among the sticking points during the negotiations, according to reports.
More than 3,300 delegates, representing over 170 nations, were in Busan for the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5), as well as observers from more than 40 organisations.
‘Greater degree of convergence’
Commenting on the outcome, Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said, “The world’s commitment to ending plastic pollution is clear and undeniable. Here in Busan, talks have moved us closer to agreeing on a global legally binding treaty that will protect our health, our environment, and our future from the onslaught of plastic pollution.
“This week’s meeting has made good progress towards securing the deal the world demands. Through the Busan talks, negotiators have reached a greater degree of convergence on the structure and elements of the treaty text, as well as a better understanding of country positions and shared challenges. But it is clear there is persisting divergence in critical areas and more time is needed for these areas to be addressed.”
INC-5 followed on from 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 2023, INC-3, in Nairobi in November 2023, and INC-4, in Ottawa in April 2024 – with the continued impasse an ongoing source of frustration for many.
“We have tested the resilience of this planet to its limit, now is the time for us to push our own limits and honour the trust placed in us – we have no choice but to succeed,” added Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, executive secretary of the INC Secretariat. Read more here. [Picture copyright: UNEP / Duncan Moore]
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