In the (potential) final year of negotiations for a new international legally binding instrument (ILBI) to end plastic pollution, negotiators will meet for its fourth session in Ottawa, Canada from 23-29 April.
In March 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) adopted resolution 5/14 titled “End Plastic Pollution: Towards an International Legally Binding Instrument.” The resolution convenes an intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC) to develop a new global agreement combatting plastic pollution, otherwise referred to as the global plastics treaty (GPT).
‘Ghost gear’ is fishing gear which has been abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded at sea and is widely regarded as one of the most harmful forms of plastic marine debris.
This briefing looks at the potential application of three outlined principles. It provides recommendations for how they could be taken beyond simply references in preambular paragraphs and effectively guide both the process of developing a treaty and the enduring implementation and compliance of an instrument truly capable of ending plastic pollution.
The UN Environment Assembly is in the process of negotiating a new Global Plastics Treaty, with the second phase of talks kicking off at the end of May to hammer out the details needed to properly address the fast-rising threat of plastics pollution
In this briefing we provide some key considerations for negotiators going into INC-2 and reflections on the Options for Elements paper.