Plastic pollution treaty negotiations to continue after failure to reach agreement in Busan (#1683397)

The week-long negotiations held in Busan, South Korea, to strike a global agreement to fight plastic pollution failed to reach a conclusion, and will continue at a later date, the diplomat presiding over the proceedings announced on Sunday.

“Several critical issues are still preventing us from reaching a general agreement. These unresolved issues remain thorny, and more time will be needed to resolve them effectively,” said Ecuador Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso, as he opened the UN negotiations’ final plenary session.

“We need to build on the progress that has been made” during the week, he added, indicating that “there is general agreement to resume the session at a later date.”

After two years of talks, the over 170 countries represented at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) to develop an international legally binding policy on plastic pollution, had until Sunday evening to agree.

But the session, which began on November 25, turned into a stand-off between a majority of countries seeking an ambitious treaty, and a small group of oil-producing countries led by Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

“Continued opposition”

“We are concerned about the continued opposition” by some oil-producing countries, French Energy Minister Olga Givernet said in the morning.

A European diplomat who took part in the negotiations told the AFP agency of endless meetings within the various contact groups, continuing into the early hours of the morning without any progress.

The group of recalcitrant countries “adopted filibustering tactics and abused their veto powers,” the unnamed diplomat said on Sunday. “We witnessed up to 60 five-minute interventions to change a single sentence” of the draft agreement.

“We’d rather leave here without a deal than with a bad deal, but we are unhappy. The situation is very bad,” added the diplomat.

Frustration grew throughout the week within the group of more ambitious countries, which included those in favour of a strong treaty addressing the entire life cycle of plastics, from the production of polymers from petroleum products to the management of plastic waste.

This coalition was at loggerheads with a small group led by Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, which believes that the future treaty should only cover waste management and the recycling of plastic waste. Delegates from the more ambitious countries tried to end the Busan conference on a positive note.

“We have made much-needed progress on a range of issues that will be crucial for the treaty to achieve its objective of protecting human health and the environment from the harmful effects of plastic pollution,” said Juliet Kabera, leader of the Rwandan delegation, speaking at the plenary session.

“However, we would like to express our deep concern about the continued calls by a small group of countries to remove from the text certain binding provisions essential for the effectiveness of the treaty,” she added.

In a rare demonstration of support, Kabera, speaking on behalf of a group of 85 countries, asked all like-minded delegates to stand up at the end of her speech, earning thunderous applause.

“Considerable gap”

If nothing is done, plastic pollution levels could triple worldwide by 2060, after global production already tripled to 1.2 billion tons compared to 460 million tons in 2019, according to OECD figures.

The group of countries opposed to an agreement on output reductions let Kuwait speak on its behalf at the end of the negotiations. “It is not a matter of a minority or a majority. Our presence here reflects a frank commitment to fight plastic pollution,” said the Kuwait representative, calling for “respect” for his group.

“But we must express our grave concern about how this negotiation was conducted,” he continued, saying the INC-5 delegates had overstepped their mandate by calling for output cuts.
“The purpose of this treaty is to end plastic pollution, not plastic per se. We have not heard any proposals on what could replace plastic,” the Kuwait delegate continued.

A representative of Iran acknowledged the “considerable gap” between the various states’ positions. “We remain committed to continuing constructive negotiations,” he added, stating he was ready to resume negotiations at a later date, on the basis of the draft agreement drawn up in Busan.