Highlights and images for 1 December 2024

"We have not yet reached the summit of our efforts." This was the spirit conveyed by INC Chair Luis Vayas in his opening statement during Sunday evening’s closing plenary. After over seven days of intense negotiations at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) to develop an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, delegates were unable to agree on a new instrument. They agreed to adjourn INC-5 in Busan, Republic of Korea, and convene a resumed meeting at a later date.

After discussing two iterations of a Chair’s Non-Paper throughout the week, on Sunday afternoon delegates reviewed a Chair’s Text in regional meetings and other closed-door settings. The Text contained a footnote explaining that it was developed building on the outcomes of the informal consultations on Saturday, 30 November 2024, and contributions from the Co-Chairs of the contact groups and facilitators of the informal consultations.

Significantly, the Text did not include a provision on scope and contained heavily bracketed text on articles related to:

• Principles and approaches;
• Plastic products;
• [Supply] [Sustainable production]; and
• Financial [resources] and mechanism.

In plenary on Sunday evening, the Co-Chairs of the four contact groups that met over the course of the week provided brief reports on their work. Delegates also heard from Maria Angélica Ikeda (Brazil) and Katherine Lynch (Australia), who co-facilitated the closed-door informal consultations on Friday and Saturday.

Following a long plenary session, delegates agreed to use the Chair’s revised Text as a basis for negotiations at the resumed fifth session of the INC (INC-5.2). INC Chair Vayas resassured delegates that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.” 

While supporting it as the basis for negotiations at the next meeting, several delegations underlined that the Chair’s Text should remain open to additions and deletions. They noted that the text did not always reflect the discussions held during the week and excluded some countries’ “red lines.” Specifically, several pointed to the absence of the article on scope, as well as the missing reflection of the proposed text by the African Group on the financial mechanism.

The Arab Group and the Russian Federation noted that the Non-Paper containing the draft text of the Chair of the Committee, circulated on Friday, 29 November 2024, better reflected discussions, but were willing to engage on the basis of the Chair’s Text. Malaysia called for the Chair’s Text, the Non-Paper circulated on Friday, and the compilation draft text from INC-4 to all be considered at INC-5.2.

Although INC-5 did not achieve its objective of delivering a new treaty to the world, progress was still made towards this aim. “We are not leaving Busan discouraged,” shared the EU, encapsulating the mood during the closing plenary. Several delegations spoke, with Mexico and Rwanda speaking on behalf of 95 and 85 countries, respectively, to call for a strong treaty, which would include articles on production, hazardous plastics, and chemicals of concern.

Some others, including Kuwait, who spoke for the Like-Minded Countries, expressed concern that “at this session, expedient progress was undermining trust and inclusivity,” and noted “attempts to stretch” the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution mandate beyond its limits. He called on delegates to focus on practical solutions to end plastic pollution and stressed that, “we are not here to end plastic itself… but plastic pollution.”

On the resumed INC-5, some delegates preferred convening the session within the first half of 2025 in order not to lose the momentum built in Busan. Others, noting that “much work” will be required before agreement can be reached, called for INC-5.2 to be held in July or August 2025.

After taking statements from a vast number of delegations, INC Chair Vayas adjourned the first session of INC-5 at 2:50 am on Monday, 2 December 2024.