Having left South Korea without a treaty, delegates from around the world will reconvene in Switzerland in August to keep working to address global plastic pollution. | Nexus 7/Shutterstock
Several months after wrapping what was intended to be the final negotiations on a global plastic pollution management treaty, the United Nations Environment Programme has announced the dates for extended talks.
The International Negotiating Committee 5.2 will be held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Aug. 5-14.
In December, member countries failed to reach consensus on a legally binding treaty to manage plastic pollution. The March 2022 vote that started the negotiation process set a deadline of the end of 2024 to prepare treaty text for presentation to a Conference of Parties.
However, delegates decided to keep working to address longstanding disagreements around plastic production caps, funding and the treaty’s proper scope.
In a statement, Ana Rocha, director of global plastics policy at the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, said “the tides turned at INC-5, and the possibility of an ambitious plastics treaty is now more concrete than it’s ever been.”
“At INC-5.2, governments must keep up the momentum and stay strong against fossil fuel interests,” Rocha said, noting that in particular, countries must defend a provision for voting without full consensus “to ensure a democratic process where no one nation can block progress towards a treaty.”