With a challenging round of negotiations ahead, the pressure is on for countries to agree on an international treaty to end plastic pollution, observers warn.
In 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a resolution mandating member states to draft a global instrument to end plastic pollution by 2040. To do so, delegates have five rounds of negotiations, with the aim to adopt the treaty by the end of 2024. The UNEA resolution calls for an instrument “which could include both binding and voluntary approaches, based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic.”
As delegates prepare to meet up for a fourth round of negotiations in Ottawa, Canada, in late April, five months since the third round took place in Nairobi, Kenya, they have a lot on their plates to have a draft ready by the end of the year.