Delegates from 14 Pacific countries have gathered in Busan to prepare for the fifth and final session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5). The critical talks will take place next week, from November 25 to December 1 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO).
In the lead-up to INC-5, the Pacific Small Islands Developing States (PSIDS) regional preparatory meeting is being held at BEXCO, from 20-21 November where delegates are meeting to strategise, reaffirm and align their positions as a group on key issues critical to the region.
INC-5 follows United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) Resolution 5/14, which mandates the development of an international legally binding instrument that addresses plastic pollution across its entire lifecycle. After two years and four sessions of negotiations, the treaty text remains contentious, with over 3,700 bracketed areas indicating unresolved issues. To streamline discussions, INC Chair Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso of Ecuador has issued Non-Papers identifying areas of consensus and divergence, which will guide the critical talks in Busan.
Pacific delegates have remained resilient and have been active in intersessional sessions and virtual meetings since INC-4 in Ottawa, Canada, to ensure their priorities are reflected in the treaty text. Vanuatu, as PSIDS Chair, commended the collective efforts of Pacific Islands and called for intensified action during the final stretch of negotiations.
“The journey ahead will be challenging though our preparations as a group have prepared us for the long week of negotiations that we will embark on. I am confident that, through our collaboration and shared vision, we will make meaningful progress and hopefully leave INC-5 with a Treaty that will be of great relevance to our region as it is to the international community,” said the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Vanuatu to the United Nations, Ambassador Odo Tevi when he opened the meeting.
“Our goal is clear: to advocate for ambitious and actionable measures that address the plastic pollution crisis. We must ensure that our voices are heard, our concerns are addressed, and our unique perspectives are considered in the global dialogue,” Ambassador Tevi emphasized.
The treaty under negotiation aims to address the entire lifecycle of plastic, from raw material extraction and production to end-of-life management. This holistic approach is vital for the Pacific, where plastic pollution poses an existential threat.
“For decades, plastic pollution has choked our waters, harmed our fisheries, and endangered the unique marine biodiversity upon which our communities rely. Plastic waste does not just pollute our coastlines but also contaminates our food chains, impacting the health and well-being of our people. For Pacific islanders, plastic pollution is not an abstract issue but a persistent and worsening crisis,” said the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme’s Director of Waste Management and Pollution Control (WMPC), Mr Anthony Talouli.
“The decisions we make now at INC-5 will resonate for generations to come. Our call from the Pacific is clear: we need an ambitious, comprehensive, and enforceable treaty that tackles the full lifecycle of plastic—from production to disposal—while recognizing the disproportionate burden that plastic pollution places on vulnerable regions like ours,” Mr Talouli added.
The fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment is taking place in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 25 November to 1 December 2024.
The Pacific Islands are represented by the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu through the support of the Government of Australia and the United Nations.
They are supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), working with partners the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner (OPOC), The Pacific Community (SPC), Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL), University of Wollongong, WWF and Massey University.
For more information, visit: https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution/session-5