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Nov 12, 2024

Road to Busan | Plastic Pollution INC-5 – Geneva Environment Network

Update Last updated: 06 Nov 2024 Chemicals and Pollution | Plastics SDG12 The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on

Update

Last updated: 06 Nov 2024

Chemicals and Pollution | Plastics

SDG12

The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5), is scheduled to take place from 25 November to 1 December 2024 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center in Busan, Republic of Korea. The session will be preceded by regional consultations on 24 November 2024.

For several years, plastic pollution has been a major issue raised at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) and other global fora.

In March 2022, a historical resolution was adopted at the 5th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly – End plastic pollution: towards an international legally binding instrument (UNEA 5/14), recognizing that “the high and rapidly increasing levels of plastic pollution represent a serious environmental problem at a global scale, negatively impacting the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development”. It mandated the UN Environment Programme Executive Director to convene an International Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop and adopt a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastics. This landmark decision thus launched the process towards a global plastics treaty, which should be developed by the end of 2024.

The first five meetings for the development of the international legally binding agreement on plastic pollution took place in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Learn more about preparations, and outcomes and find resources on the role of Geneva.

Learn more about preparations, and outcomes and find resources on the role of Geneva.

Learn more about preparations, and outcomes and find resources on the role of Geneva.

Learn more about preparations, and outcomes and find resources on the role of Geneva.

The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5), is scheduled to take place from 25 November to 1 December 2024 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center in Busan, Republic of Korea. The session will be preceded by regional consultations on 24 November 2024.

The Youth and Stakeholder Assembly on Plastic Pollution is a strategic gathering for stakeholders to share their perspectives on achieving a strong Plastics Treaty. Organized by the Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP (CYMG) and partners, this Assembly provides a key platform to advance advocacy efforts and develop a cohesive policy stance that reflects the demands and expectations of both youth and stakeholders. Building on the Global Youth Environment Assembly and the Global Youth Declaration on Environment, the Assembly aims to drive collective action on plastic pollution through shared ideas, strategies, and commitments. It will take place on Sunday, 24 November 2024 at Dongseo University in Busan, Republic of Korea

Following the completion of the work of the contact groups and their respective subgroups at the fourth session, the committee requested the secretariat to issue a compilation of the five outcome documents of the subgroups, maintaining corresponding placeholders for potential annexes as contained in document UNEP/PP/INC.4/3, as an official document for its fifth session. The committee also requested the secretariat to standardize the formatting of the document, and to correct any clear typographical errors in the document, without making any substantive changes to its contents, and decided that this compilation document will be the starting point for continued negotiations at its fifth session with a view to completing its work on the instrument by the end of that session.

Stressing the goal of INC-5 is to agree on and approve the text of an international legally binding instrument and to identify any issues and areas where preparatory work should be done in the interim period between the Diplomatic Conference and the first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP), the document intends to guide Members in their preparations for INC-5 and to propose a way forward, with the aim of optimizing the limited time available for the completion of the negotiations.

The report has been prepared by the Co-Chairs of the expert group for consideration by the committee and it reflects the outcomes of the work of the expert group in fulfilment of its mandate. It draws upon outcomes of its three virtual meetings and the in-person meeting in Bangkok. It is intended to facilitate a common understanding of the matters outlined in the mandate and to draw together the key information, issues and opportunities discussed during meetings of the expert group.

In the report, the Co-Chairs have considered experts’ inputs through their responses to the online questionnaire, discussions during the expert group’s virtual meetings, as well as exchanges over the course of the in-person meeting held from 24 to 28 August 2024, including as reflected in summaries of discussions made available during the meeting and participating experts’ comments on these. The report reflects and synthesizes the different expert views expressed in the most balanced and neutral manner possible, considering the group’s mandate and purpose, to provide the committee with a document that will be informative and help advance its work at the fifth session, without prejudging that work or its outcomes.

On 30 October 2024, the INC Chair released its third Non-paper to assist collective efforts to negotiate a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, during the pivotal round of negotiations at INC-5. The non-paper builds on contributions from governments, regional groups, specialized documents, observers, and international organizations with experience in multilateral environmental agreements. The non-paper recognizes the need to:

Information submitted by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/PP/INC.5/INF/1)

At its INC-4, the Committee decided to establish two ad hoc intersessional open-ended expert groups:

An ad hoc intersessional open-ended expert group to develop an analysis of potential sources, and means that could be mobilized, for implementation of the objectives of the instrument, including options for the establishment of a financial mechanism, alignment of financial flows, and catalysing finance, for the consideration by the Committee at INC-5. The expert group is co-chaired by Ms. Kate Lynch of Australia and Mr. Oliver Boachie of Ghana.

Work Programme Expert Group 1 (9 August) | Agenda with annotations (7 August) | Co-chairs’ synthesis paper on finance (7 August)

An ad hoc intersessional open-ended expert group to identify and analyse criteria and non criteria based approaches regarding plastic products and chemicals of concern in plastic products, and product design focusing on recyclability and reusability of plastic products, considering their uses and applications, for the consideration by the Committee at INC-5. The expert group is co-chaired by Mr. Axel Borchmann of Germany, Ms. Gwen Sisior of Palau, and Mr. Luay Almukhtar of Iraq.

Ahead of the in-person intersessional meeting, the INC Secretariat circulated among experts a questionnaire to gather views to inform the discussions of this expert group. → Compilation of questionnaire responses for Expert Group 2

Expert Group 2 Work Programme (10 August) | Agenda with annotations (21 August) | Co-Chairs’ Synthesis Document (21 August)

Ahead of the in-person meeting, online meetings for both expert groups were organized by the INC Secretariat.

Expert Group 1 met on 16 July 2024 | 1 August 2024 | 15 August 2024

Expert Group 2 met on 18 July 2024 | 30 July 2024 | 13 August 2024

The informal in-person meeting of Heads of Delegation (HoD) to the INC took place on 30 September and 1 October in Nairobi, Kenya. Each Member States of the United Nations, members of its specialized agencies, and regional economic integration organizations was be represented by a maximum of two representatives each, i.e. their Head of Delegation, or a designated alternate representative of the Head of Delegation, and one additional delegate to participate in this informal in-person meeting.

At its fourth session (INC-4) the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, decided:

Ahead of INC-5, actors from Geneva and beyond are mobilized through the organization of events and webinars to gather expertise and share the most advanced scientific knowledge.

Through the Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues, the Geneva Environment Network and its partners support actors in the Geneva community and beyond, that are engaged in the INC process and other processes tackling plastic pollution. Ahead INC-5, the co-conveners of the Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues organized events relevant to the upcoming negotiations.

14 November 2024

12 November 2024

7 November 2024

6 November 2024

30 October 2024

29 October 2024

16 October 2024

4 October 2024

19 September 2024

18 September 2024

7 August 2024

23 July 2024

26 June 2024

As a global hub for environmental governance, in particular for chemicals, waste and pollution issues, Geneva hosts many organizations whose work is highly relevant for the development of a new instrument on plastic pollution. Learn more about the organizations active in Geneva to tackle the plastic crisis through our Plastics and the Environment special section on “Addressing the Plastic Crisis from Geneva”.

#PlasticsTreaty #INC5