Will delegates beat the deadline to deliver a new treaty on plastic pollution to the world? On the penultimate day of 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, states reconvened behind closed doors for informal consultations throughout the day.
Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.
Basing their discussions on a Non-Paper containing draft text of the Chair of the INC, delegates concentrated their efforts on “topics with high convergence,” stating their “red lines.” The topics identified are:
- product design (draft article 5);
- releases and leakages (draft article 7);
- plastic waste management (draft article 8);
- [existing][legacy] plastic pollution (draft article 9);
- just transition (draft article 10);
- capacity building, “technology” assistance and technology transfer, including international cooperation (draft article 12);
- implementation and compliance (draft article 13);
- national action plans (draft article 14);
- reporting (draft article 15); and
- health (draft article 19).
Going into these closed-door discussions, delegates shared mixed reactions about how much progress could be made at INC-5. Some were cautiously optimistic that a “skeleton treaty” could be hammered out in the dying moments of the meeting. Others were resigned to the idea that “an additional meeting may be required to get us over the finish line.” “It is still early,” joked one delegate, “we may just pull it off.”
With one day left to beat the scheduled deadline to conclude negotiations, the INC-5 outcome remains to be seen.
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All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For INC-5 please use: Photo by IISD/ENB - Kiara Worth