In the fourth session of negotiations held this week, progress has been made toward agreeing on a global treaty to end plastic pollution by the end of the year.
Over 2,500 delegates attended the fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) in Canada. The meeting’s aim was to exchange views on the ambitious treaty that demands urgent action on plastic pollution.
The UN Environment Programme estimates that between 19 and 23 million tonnes of plastic waste leaks into aquatic ecosystems every year, polluting lakes, rivers and seas.
The UK strongly supports an ambitious treaty covering the full lifecycle of plastics, from production and consumption to waste management.
The UK’s role in plastic waste management
The UK played a key role in securing the following outcomes:
- Environment Minister Rebecca Pow announced that the UK will champion efforts to make progress on problematic and avoidable plastic products – this has been incorporated into the draft treaty text
- A programme of work will be conducted ahead of the fifth meeting, giving expert groups the opportunity to meet and contribute to the design of the treaty
- The draft text of the treaty was analysed to check efficiency streamlined to support the next round of negotiations at INC-5
- The INC agreed to establish a legal drafting group, which will ensure legal clarity in the text of the future agreement
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “As a member of the High Ambition Coalition, the UK has continued to push for an ambitious treaty covering the full lifecycle of plastics.
“The UK was able to incorporate its proposal on problematic and avoidable plastics into the draft treaty text, and we are pleased that countries have agreed to progress these plans in the coming months.”
Further negotiations will need to take place
The UK, along with 64 other members of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC), recently signed the Joint Ministerial Statement, which called for a range of mandatory provisions to be included in the forthcoming treaty.
The HAC has called for the treaty to address the full lifecycle of plastic pollution.
The final INC meeting, the fifth negotiating session between United Nations member states, will take place in South Korea at the end of the year.
“There remains significant work to do to secure an agreement at the final negotiations in November, and the UK is committed to securing the best outcome for our oceans, communities and wildlife,” Pow concluded.
