By Joyce Ojanji
To develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including the marine environment, the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee ((INC-4), has kicked off in Canada’s capital, Ottawa.
The session aims to advance negotiations so that the Committee can finalize, at its fifth session (INC-5) in November, the text of the instrument.
During the session, members will decide on intercessional work – informal INC sessions taking place between the official meetings – required between INC-4 and INC-5, to support the further development of the text.
“We are seeing convergence on eliminating the uses that are problematic and avoidable. We will continue to need plastic for specific uses, such as renewable energy technologies. But there is growing agreement that short-lived and single-use can go,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme.
“We can be proud of what we have achieved. But a job half-done is a job not done. Time is against us – both in terms of finalizing the instrument and how much more the planet can take.”
Additionally, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Chair of the INC noted that they are seeking to advance these negotiations and deliver a treaty because collectively they have recognized that multilateral cooperation through this INC process to develop a new legally binding international instrument has a critical role to play in providing the effective and impactful solutions needed to end plastic pollution.
“Let us negotiate with accountability and integrity –grounded in the scientific evidence and facts on the scale and urgency of ending plastic pollution. Let us also approach this task with optimism, that it is both necessary and possible for us to achieve this new treaty,” he added.
Moreover, Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, noted that agreeing to a global agreement on plastic pollution by the end of 2024 would mark one of the most significant environmental decisions and would be a first-of-its-kind agreement to unite the world around a shared goal to end plastic pollution.
“Canada has put in place a number of measures to stem the tide of plastic pollution at home, and we are keen to keep up the momentum for a global agreement that aligns with our ambition. We welcome delegations, partners, and stakeholders from around the world to Ottawa for INC-4 to continue the ambitious work needed to achieve this united goal,” he added.
The start of INC-4 was preceded by regional consultations and a conversation with Observers, and Canada hosted a Partnerships Day and a Ministerial Day on the sidelines of the session.
INC-5, to be held in Busan, the Republic of Korea, from 25 November to 2 December 2024, is intended as the end of the INC process. It will be followed by a Diplomatic Conference where Heads of State will sign the agreement.
