Highlights and images for 19 June 2025

Setting up a global science-policy body is no easy task! Delegates worked through most of the night and well into the afternoon to finalize the foundational document, which is the basis for establishing the science-policy panel on chemicals, waste and pollution prevention. In times of geopolitical tensions, the challenge of finding common ground across conflicting geographic and socioeconomic priorities could not be understated.

Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.

To set the new panel in motion, there needs to be clarity on key elements of its work. For instance, the process of decision-making needs to be specified. Will it occur by consensus or by voting? Consensus stands for inclusivity in principle but can and does lead to protracted stalemate and can diminish the effectiveness of the panel.

Then there are more basic concerns about the panel that speak to its core purpose, as specified in the United Nations Environment Assembly Resolution 5/8 calling for its establishment. Some delegations want to specify that the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution is for the protection of human health and the environment, while others prefer to keep it simply to a panel on the sound management of chemicals and waste, without reference to pollution prevention.

Some delegations are concerned about the role of observers to the Interdisciplinary Expert Committee tasked with overseeing the scientific outputs of the panel. They worry that observers may influence the impartial work of scientists. Yet, others are concerned that the lack of observers in the expert committee hampers transparency and inclusivity.

The closing plenary of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on Thursday marked a significant moment, more than three years after the Group’s mandate began. UN Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen emphasized that “today is the day that the world decided to come together and make the best science available on chemicals, pollution, and waste to the world.”

While delegates welcomed the renewed spirit of multilateralism through commitment to collaboration despite tough negotiations, some observers and delegations raised concerns about how requests to remove gender inclusivity in the panel’s work risked backtracking hard-fought wins that took decades to achieve.

While developing proposals for the establishment of the panel was a significant challenge, it is now up for the Intergovernmental Meeting to formally establish the new body. The real task lies ahead, in ensuring the panel is effective in achieving its objectives and in the uptake of its work.

OEWG Chair Gudi Alkemade adjourned the meeting at 7:10 pm.