In what could mark a turning point in global environmental governance, over 3,000 participants/representatives from about 184 countries have gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, to finalise negotiations on a landmark treaty to end plastic pollution.
The move, mandated under the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) resolution 5/14 in 2022, is to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
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The process, which started over three years ago, represents the world’s most ambitious attempt yet to address the lingering plastic crisis at its root—across the entire value chain —production, design and disposal—of plastics.
Dubbed the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) under the resolution (5/14) and entitled “End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument,” negotiators in Geneva are expected to develop a final “instrument,” which is to be based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastics.
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The first INC session (INC-1) took place in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 28 November to 2 December 2022, and was followed by a second session (INC-2) from 29 May to 2 June 2023 in Paris, France.
The third session (INC-3), which the UNEP said marked the process’s midway point, held from 13 to 19 November 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. It was followed by the fourth session (INC-4) from 23 to 29 April 2024 in Ottawa, Canada.
The first part of the fifth session (INC-5.1) took place from 25 November to 1 December 2024, in Busan, Republic of Korea.
Now at the second part of the fifth session (INC-5.2), which kicked off in Geneva on Tuesday, negotiators were charged to finalise the process by 14 August. Also, delegates have been urged to put aside entrenched positions, embrace compromise, and deliver a legally binding framework that reflects both scientific urgency and the shared responsibility of nations.
This is against the backdrop of perceived significant pushbacks from industry lobbyists, particularly those from fossil fuel and chemical industry states.
“Let’s finish the work we started”
In his opening remarks, the INC Chair, Luis Valdivieso, emphasised that they have come to Geneva with a shared mission—to finish the work they have started, and to fulfil the mandate of the UNEA resolution 5/14.
“For the first time in history, the world is within reach of a legally binding international instrument to end plastic pollution,” he said.
The official described the tasks as “challenging” but a deeply necessary one. He told participants that the world is facing a global crisis as plastics are destroying the world’s ecosystems.
“We are facing a global crisis—plastic pollution is damaging ecosystems, polluting our oceans and rivers, threatening biodiversity, harming human health, and unfairly impacting the most vulnerable,” the INC chair said.
He said the urgency to develop the treaty is “real” because the evidence is clear and the “responsibility is on us”.
“We understand how we arrived at this point. A natural disaster didn’t cause this crisis; it is mainly an unintended result, since we are pretty sure nobody wants plastic pollution,” he noted.
Despite this, Mr Valdivieso said still they have not been able to find a systematic and effective way to stop plastics pollution.
He explained that the pollution is a product of “our decisions, habits, and systems that have persisted because we have been unable to find ways to control it.”
Since it is a human-made crisis, he said, it can and must be tackled through human effort and global cooperation.
The official said they are supported by the best available science, which clearly shows an effective international framework for cooperation and accountability—one that adopts a comprehensive approach throughout the life cycle of plastics.
This, he said, can significantly reduce plastic pollution and provide great benefits for both the environment and public health.
“You—Member States—have the mandate, information, and authority to act. You understand your national priorities, red lines, and constraints. This moment demands concrete and meaningful progress,” the INC chair said.
“Not maximalist positions but joint solutions. Not finger-pointing but pragmatic engagement,” he added, stating that the moment calls for a recognition that the common good does not conflict with national interests but instead arises from a careful and courageous balance between them.
“Time to get the deal over the line”
On her part, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Anderson, reiterated that almost three and a half years have passed since the historic adoption of the UN Environment Assembly Resolution 5/14.
The UNEP boss said it is now high time for Member States to “get the deal over the line”.
As the meeting kicked off on Tuesday, she charged negotiators to roll up their sleeves and get into Contact Groups.
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“You face ten days of intensive negotiations. You know that you will have to work hard and with determination, as you have done before,” the UNEP official stated.
She said they will have to work in the spirit of solidarity and compromise as they have done before, believing they would leave Geneva with a treaty.
“Plastic pollution is already in nature, in our oceans and even in our bodies. And plastic leakage to the environment is predicted to grow 50 per cent by 2040,” Ms Anderson said.
“If we continue on the current trajectory, the world will be drowning in plastic pollution – with massive consequences for planetary, economic and human health,” she noted.
