With only two full days of official negotiating time left, delegates scurried through the hallways of the Palais des Nations, rushing from one group to another to make progress on the future treaty text. They met all day in contact and informal groups as the resumed fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) to develop an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, neared its scheduled close.
Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.
Contact groups met to both hear progress on informal discussions, and to continue discussions on substantive matters. They had to overcome some logistical challenges, as, with the limited time available, and the “mountain of work to complete,” informal discussions took longer than expected, and some contact groups were in a holding pattern for part of the day.
Substantively, they addressed an article on capacity building, technical assistance and technology transfer, including international cooperation (Article 12), discussing, among other things, what to mandate the first session of the conference of the parties (COP 1) to do.
In parallel, ministers convened in an informal dialogue on investment opportunities for a circular economy in the context of the global plastics treaty, organized by the Swiss government. During the day, observers held a briefing with INC Chair Luis Vayas and INC Executive Secretary Jyoti Mathur-Filipp. INC Chair Vayas admitted concern over the pace of the negotiations, while expressing hope that “it is possible to deliver a text that is effective to end plastic pollution on Thursday.” He urged observers to “work with us to help find bridging positions” and to “keep pushing us.”
Informal groups met throughout the day, addressing:
- the ILBI’s preamble, and principles and possible approaches (Article 1bis);
- plastic product design (Article 5);
- releases and leakages (Article 7);
- plastic waste management (Article 8);
- existing and/or legacy plastic waste/pollution or the remediation of plastic pollution (Article 9);
- just transition (Article 10);
- the future COP (Article 20); and
- the establishment of future subsidiary bodies (Article 20bis).
In the evening, delegates were informed that plenary would convene on Wednesday, 13 August, to consider the Chair's revised text based on the current state of negotiations.
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All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For INC 5.2 please use: Photo by IISD/ENB - Kiara Worth
Informal Ministerial Roundtable
Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), welcomes ministers to the informal ministerial roundtable on challenges at national levels to address plastic pollution
Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, Minister of Environment, Indonesia
Dion George, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South Africa
Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP
Viriato Luís Soares Cassamá, Minister of Environment, Biodiversity, and Climate Action, Guinea-Bissau
Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy
Messouda Mohamed Laghdaf, Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Mauritania
Hallo Al-Askari, Minister of Environment, Iraq
Steven Victor, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment, Palau
Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway
Gem Tshering, Minister for Energy and Natural Resources, Bhutan
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management, Belize
Sari Multala, Minister of Climate and the Environment, Finland
Maina Talia, Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change and Environment, Tuvalu
Musadik Masood Malik, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Pakistan
Mohammed Anjrani, Minister of Local Administration and Environment, Syria
Flavien Joubert, Minister of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, Seychelles
Taofeg Abdulwahd Ali Al-Sharjabi, Minister of Water and Environment, Yemen
Hettithantri Patabendige Dammika, Minister of Environment, Sri Lanka
Bashir Mohamed Jama, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Somalia
Emma Hardy, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK
Deborah Barasa, Cabinet Secretary for Environment Climate Change and Forestry, Kenya
UN Security presides over the meeting
Contact Group 1
Delegates continue discussions in Contact Group 1
Contact Group 1 Co-Chair Axel Borchmann, Germany
Gudi Alkemade, the Netherlands
Delegates listen to the discussion
Makoto Tanabe, Japan
Victoria Hallum, New Zealand
Contact Group 3
Delegates continue discussions under Contact Group 3
Sachin Limbu, Bhutan
Hector Conde Almeida, Cuba
Mazlifah Ayob, Malaysia
Contact Group 3 Co-Chair Gwen Sisior, Palau
Delegates consult informally during the session
Contact Group 4
Delegates gather for Contact Group 4
Arman Khorsand, Iran
João Paulo de Sousa, Brazil
The Co-Chair presents an article-by-article mapping chart to help facilitate discussions
Contact Group 4 Co-Chair Linroy Christian, Antigua and Barbuda
Delegates consult during the session
Informal Consultations Throughout the Day
Informal consultations on Article 10
Informal consultations on Article 20
Informal consultations on Article 9
INC Chair Update to Observers
Observers gather to hear an update from the INC Chair on the status of negotiations
INC Chair Luis Vayas, Ecuador
Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary, INC Secretariat
Around the Venue
Delegates from Canada
Delegates from Uzbekistan
Sverre Thomas Jahre, Norway, speaks with Johanna Lissinger Peitz, Sweden
Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary, INC Secretariat
