Progress has been made to agree a global treaty to end plastic
pollution by the end of the year in the fourth session of
negotiations held this week.
The fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) held
in Canada, saw over 2,500 delegates, representing 170 Members
States, come together and exchange views on the ambitious treaty
that demands urgent action on plastics.
The UK strongly supports an ambitious treaty covering the full
lifecycle of plastics, from production and consumption to waste
management.
The UK, played a key role in securing the following
outcomes:
- Environment Minister announced that the UK will
champion efforts to make progress on problematic and avoidable
plastic products and these plans proposals have 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 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.
There remains substantial differences between parties on the
level of ambition for the treaty , which has meant that progress
has been slower than we would have hoped on some key areas.
Nonetheless 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.
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.
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 have
called for the treaty to address the full lifecycle of plastic.
The final INC meeting will take place in South Korea at the end
of the year, which will be the fifth negotiating session between
United Nations member states.
