As expectations about the establishment of a globally binding treaty to combat plastic pollution heighten, the journey toward achieving a consensus remains complicated.
This is against the backdrop of geopolitical and economic disparities among negotiators and observers at the ongoing plastics discussions in Geneva.
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Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, which suffers from severe plastic pollution, is absent from the negotiations where the Africa Group is led by Ghana.
The discussions commenced on 5 August, when delegates from over 176 countries convened at the United Nations headquarters (Palais des Nation) in Switzerland, for the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) meeting.
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They were tasked with hammering out the first legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution. The adopted agreement is expected to cover the full life cycle of plastics, from production to disposal.
However, after four days of extensive deliberations across all the negotiation blocs, an initial draft published in the early hours of Saturday has revealed a deep divide among country representatives from the different negotiation groups (producers and reformers) at the conference.
Observations and reflections
A review of the 35-page draft published on Saturday shows that there are footnotes indicating whether the text under the different “articles” was adopted/discussed by the different contact groups or not, and whether decisions were made on them or not.
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Also, there were unresolved issues in the draft.
But during the stocktake plenary convened on Saturday by the INC Chair, Luis Valdivieso, with the aim of taking stock of progress made so far across the different negotiating groups, the majority of the presenters (Co-chairs) of the different contact groups indicated that there is a need for more time to deliberate and finalise on the different articles being deliberated upon by parties.
While some delegates believe they are making progress, many are concerned about the slow pace of negotiation, as some critical components/articles of the texts have not been finalised.
For instance, the Columbia group argued that parties are “not making progress” at the deliberations so far, urging the INC Chair to adjust the current structure of procedures to achieve a better outcome. Similarly, representatives of the European Union and the 27 member states echoed the same concerns.
“The negotiations are not advancing with our objectives,” the EU said.
Kenya’s permanent representative to UNEP and the United Nations Offices in Nairobi, Ababu Namwamba, who spoke at the plenary on Saturday on behalf of the Kenyan government, with a reflection of the concerns of the African Group, urged the INC chair to ensure that the final document reflects an inclusive, ambitious and implementable treaty.
He emphasised that while some progress has been made so far, a comprehensive and effective agreement remains elusive, noting that Kenya has submitted inputs regarding Article 21 but notes that these were not reflected in the latest draft.
He said the text calls for the Secretariat of the treaty to be located at the UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi to improve global environmental governance.
Most of the groups that made presentations reflected similar concerns. The negotiation is scheduled to be concluded next Thursday. However, the talks have been marked by disagreements, particularly over whether the treaty should impose limits on the production of primary plastic polymers—the chemical building blocks of most plastic products, as well as clear financial mechanisms to support a just transition for less developed countries, among others.
”Two camps, one table”
On one side of the diplomatic proceedings so far, a broad coalition of more than 90 countries — including members of the “High Ambition Coalition” to End Plastic Pollution (Africa and others)— is pushing for clear targets to reduce virgin plastic production, alongside stronger global rules to curb pollution at its source.
For these nations and some observer groups under the Just Transition Alliance (JTA)— which is composed of people of colour, indigenous people and low-income communities—cutting plastic production is “not negotiable”.
The group, which held a press conference on Friday on the sidelines of the negotiation, emphasised that if plastic production is not significantly reduced, the world will remain trapped in a cycle of overconsumption, waste, and environmental degradation.
Meanwhile, on the other hand of the negotiation is a smaller but powerful bloc of major oil and gas producers, led by Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran, alleged to be resisting any provisions that would cap production.
Backed by petrochemical interests, these countries are said to be arguing that the treaty should focus instead on improving waste management, recycling, and clean-up efforts.
But some sustainable environmental groups have argued that these proposed measures are insufficient to address the scale of the plastic pollution crisis that are devastating ecosystems globally.
“Industry influence in the background”
Over the past four days of negotiation, there has been influence of the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries on the ongoing diplomatic process.
Earlier this week, a report showed that just seven countries — including China, the US, and Saudi Arabia — are responsible for two-thirds of global plastic production.
The report also indicated that about 18 companies alone produced more than half of the world’s primary polymers, with industry giants such as ExxonMobil, Sinopec, and Saudi Aramco occupying an outsized role in the supply chain.
There are concerns that these economic interests are reflected in the negotiating room. Lobbying from industry representatives, coupled with the strategic alignment of key producer states, has amplified calls for a treaty that avoids production caps and instead prioritises “downstream” solutions — approaches that experts warn will not stem the tide of new plastics entering the environment.
These concerns forced some groups to stage a peaceful protest at the entrance of the UN headquarters on Friday.
The Stakes for Africa
For African nations, the Geneva meeting is not a diplomatic tourism exercise, but an opportunity to clinch a deal that will translate to profound progress across the continent.
The African Group at the Geneva negotiation is currently being chaired by Ghana, but the country is currently mourning following the helicopter crash in Ghana on Wednesday that killed all eight people on board, including two government ministers.
The officials who were victims of the crash are the country’s Defence Minister, Edward Boamah, and the Environment Minister, Ibrahim Muhammed, who was supposed to join the Geneva meeting. Hence, the Ghana delegation could not make a presentation at the just-concluded stocktake plenary on Saturday.
“Nigeria is missing in action” despite basking in plastic pollution
PREMIUM TIMES has observed that delegations from Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, are conspicuously absent at the plenary on Saturday. Nigeria was not among the countries’ representatives who delivered statements at the plenary.
Messages seeking comments on the process so far from Nigeria’s National Focal Point person on the INC plastics treaty, Charles Ikeah, have not been replied to as of press time.
However, a member of the House of Representatives for Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency of Benue State, Terseer Ugbor, who is the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Environment, told PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday that he is not in Geneva for the meeting.
“No, I’m not in Geneva. I was just appointed chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on Single-Use Plastic Ban, I will have a comment when we commence work next month,” he said when asked for comments on the issue.
“I don’t think Nigeria has a position yet,” he added.
Meanwhile, Nigeria, perceived as the giant of Africa, is among the countries facing a severe plastic pollution crisis, ranking as a top global polluter.
Annually, an estimated 2.5 to 3.5 million tons of plastic waste are generated across Nigeria, with a decimal fraction being recycled. This often leads to widespread environmental damage, since plastics do not decay (are non-biodegradable), impacting both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and posing risks to public health.
If one looks into major drainages and corners of major cities and communities in Nigeria, the chances of finding empty water sachets and plastic bottles, as well as takeaway plastic packages, are significantly high.
In the face of these growing concerns, several efforts are ongoing to address plastic pollution in Nigeria. One of the states leading this effort is Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital. Recently, the Lagos State Government announced that it has commenced full enforcement of its ban on certain single-use plastics (SUPs).
Similarly, in June, the UNEP explained that they are working with the Nigerian government to introduce a series of regulations that will make companies that produce and use plastic packaging responsible for countering plastic pollution.
READ ALSO: Seven countries produce majority of world’s plastics – Report
Prospects
Despite the concerns that the negotiations are not going the way many anticipated, some delegates from Liberia and Kenya who spoke to journalists on Friday asserted that they are hopeful that something tangible will emerge from the ongoing negotiations by the end of the deliberation next week.
Many countries on the continent are already facing the environmental and economic costs of plastic waste, much of it imported or produced by multinational companies operating locally.
In Geneva, African negotiators face the dual challenge of advocating for ambitious environmental measures while also navigating domestic economic concerns, including the need for investment, technology transfer, and fair financing mechanisms to support the transition away from virgin plastics.
Comments
In her reaction to the interim text on Saturday, Melissa Blue Sky, a senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, said that after four days of negotiations, the draft text is going in the opposite direction of what’s needed to finalise a treaty.
“The text went from 22 to 35 pages in length and at a time when we should be moving to agreement, countries are adding hundreds more brackets, indicating places of disagreement,” she said.
She said it is troubling that the draft is misleading because it presents all options as having the same weight, when in fact, some text additions have the support of over a hundred countries, and some have only one.
“The INC cannot continue with the status quo and expect the negotiations to result in a final treaty. Something will have to change for us to see a treaty text that meaningfully delivers on the promise to end plastic pollution,” she said.
As the Geneva talks enter their final stretch, negotiators have been urged to work tooth and nail to deliver a consolidated draft that can be taken forward to the concluding round of treaty talks.
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