Decisive fifth session of negotiations on global plastic pollution treaty opens in Busan

November 26, 2024

By Samuel Ogunsona

The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, opened on November 25, 2024, in Busan, Republic of Korea.

The session aims to conclude negotiations and finalize the text of the agreement, which will be a significant step towards addressing the global plastic pollution crisis.

The session, which will run from November 25 to December 1, 2024, has brought together over 3,800 participants from more than 170 countries and over 600 Observer organizations.

This is the highest number of participants in the five meetings, indicating the growing concern and commitment to addressing plastic pollution globally.

In his video message to the INC, H.E. Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea, emphasized the urgent need to address plastic pollution. “The excessive reliance of humanity on the convenience of plastics has resulted in an exponential increase in plastic waste.

“The waste accumulated in our oceans and rivers now jeopardizes the lives of future generations,” he said.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), also stressed the importance of the negotiations. “The moment of truth is here to end plastic pollution.

“Not a single person on this planet wants to witness plastic in their communities or washing up on their shores,” she said.

The INC-5 follows four earlier rounds of negotiations, which took place in Punta del Este, Paris, Nairobi, and Ottawa.

The negotiations aim to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.

Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Chair of the INC, emphasized the need for collaboration and ambition in the negotiations. “Let us harness every tool of multilateralism, every ounce of creativity, and every moment of dialogue to overcome our differences and craft a treaty as ambitious as our collective will allows,” he said.

The success of the negotiations will have a direct impact on the world we live in, and it is essential that the agreement is implemented effectively.

As Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary of the INC, said, “The success of these negotiations will directly shape the world we live in – now and in the future –, because once the ink is dry, words must be followed by action, and we should all have our eyes on this instrument’s implementation”.