29 November 2024, Busan Korea - As the clock ticks towards the last two days of the deadline set by the United Nations Environment Assembly’s (UNEA-5.2) resolution for the creation of a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution by 2024, there appears to be more questions than answers.
On Friday, delegates spent most of the day staring at schedules which were constantly changing, as they awaited text. Uncertainty, frustrations, and lots of diverging views.
The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) to develop an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, is currently underway in Busan Korea.
Delegations from Pacific countries are amongst more than 4,000 participants, engaging and amplifying regional and national priorities during the latest round of the INC. The first four INCs were held in Uruguay, France, Kenya and Canada.
The UN had set Busan Korea as the last negotiations before a treaty is finalised.
But time is running out.
Some of the key questions revolve around the nature of the future ILBI, which provisions will be legally binding and which will be voluntary. There are also questions about which measures will apply at the global level, and which will states have to implement at a national level.
These discussions played out in considerations on plastic waste management and information exchange among states and other entities, among others. In their discussions on final provisions, familiar reservations were shared over whether and how to include regional economic integration organizations. In discussions on finance, including establishing a financial mechanism, views from developed and developing countries continued to diverge. And the questions continue.
Amongst the Pacific delegates amplifying the One Pacific Voice is Mr Haden Talagi, the Director of Niue’s Department of Environment. He has been following the negotiations since INC-1 in Uruguay. He described the mood in Busan as “interesting” and “frustrating” and he also sees the irony.
“The reality is that while we’re talking, five INCs later, the ships are still bringing tonnes of plastics to our islands. There are still plastics off the planes, yachts coming in and bringing plastics and then there are plastics washing up on our shores,” said Mr Talagi.
Niue, is amongst Pacific communities, at the forefront of plastic pollution crisis impacts despite the region contributing less than 1.3 per cent to global plastic pollution. “We have a legacy plastic problem as well as the growth of this problem with all the new plastic that enters Niue – it’s everywhere, on our land and also ending up in our ocean.”
Mr. Talagi said working towards a treaty responsive to the needs of Niue on the ground is his mission in Busan.
“I know process here in Busan is a bit tricky, there are a lot of moving parts, there are a lot of developments happening in the background and we’re not aware of the different dynamics between the different groups but that’s the nature of negotiations,” he said.
“Niue will continue to support our Pacific positions, we feel that we are stronger together in this process and we will continue to do what is required to ensure our voices are heard in this space. I expect the Chair to take the lead and make decisions early, instead of leaving countries hanging at the final day. Whether we make it across the line, or we stumble across the line, it will all depend on the chairperson and the direction going forward. I think the groups and countries might also have to exercise some flexibility and compromises.”
And should a treaty be reached, Mr Talagi said considering the next steps, especially at the national level, is important.
“For us say there is a treaty, the question is how do we begin to implement it on the ground back home? When we think about this, we want to ensure we have a treaty that helps us and fits our needs, instead of draining our resources and finances,” said Mr Talagi.
“We will be looking at questions like do we have the capability to implement this work going forward, what sort of systems and dynamics will be involved, for instance countries might have to rely heavily on CROP Agencies in terms of expertise, financial resources and so forth.
“It’s going to drain a lot of other resources we already depend on for our current work. So I guess to prepare, what sort of systems do we need to change back home, what sort of resources are required and also the work we need to put in now to make those connections and build partnerships with funding partners, donor countries and our CROP agencies. I am also mindful that a lot of these CROP agencies will do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of capacity, expertise and resources required to implement this treaty, if and when we have one.”
In Busan, the “if” and “when” questions remain. And the clock is ticking.
“What I can see is that we will be working longer hours in the next few days,” said Mr Talagi. “I think all the parties have been trying to stand their ground in terms of their positions and that’s made it things quite hard in terms of progress.
“I know it’s been slow but you have to respect countries’ sovereignty in terms of their positions, needs and what they want to come from this treaty, and this is what the multilateral process is about. Now it comes down to lead negotiators and the work they do in terms of where we go to from here. The options are either we have a treaty by the end of the week, or in the case we cannot agree on text, what the next steps are.”
Mr Talagi however remains hopeful.
“At the end of the day, we all want an outcome that works for us but we are also realistic that should this not end here in Busan, we will have to consider INC5.2 and what that would entail, that’s at the global level,” he said.
“In the meantime, for us back home, we still have a lot of work to do on the ground. For Niue, we will continue to engage with our funding agencies, donor partners to do the best we can to protect our communities from the impacts of plastic pollution. We want to be proactive and continue that while we await the outcome of this treaty work.”