The World Turns to UNEA 5.2: SPECIAL REPORT from OPLN 📍
With UNEA 5.2 only 11 days away...
Stakeholders from every part of the globe are mobilizing to see their interests included in a potential Global Plastics Treaty. Scroll down to see the latest developments.
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One Ocean Summit Sees Big Announcements from Key Countries
In an effort to mobilize the international community to take tangible action to mitigate pressures on the ocean, the French Government held the Ocean One Summit in Brest, from February 9th - 11th, 2022. By and large, the topic of plastic pollution and UNEA 5.2 stole the spotlight.
United States and France
There were some weighty plastic announcements made at the three-day summit, one of the most substantial of which was a Joint Statement Between the United States and France:
"The United States and France are committed to protecting our environment for future generations. Recognizing the transboundary aspects of plastic pollution and the importance of curbing it at its source, the United States and France support launching negotiations at the upcoming 5th UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) on a global agreement to address the full lifecycle of plastics and promote a circular economy. The agreement should include binding and non-binding commitments, call on countries to develop and implement ambitious national action plans, and foster robust engagement of stakeholders to contribute toward the agreement’s objectives while complementing national government contributions. We look forward to partnering with other countries to achieve a successful outcome at UNEA and in the development of such a global agreement."
Experts on the plastics treaty process have commented that this statement shows a marked evolution from the US position on the treaty. Two key points:
Canada and South Korea
Along with France and the US, the One Ocean Summit also saw Canada and South Korea endorse the concept of a binding international treaty. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau joined the Summit virtually to express support for "the development of a new, ambitious, and legally binding global agreement on plastics at the United Nations Environment Assembly that takes a full lifecycle approach to addressing plastic pollution."
Canada's Minister of Fisheries elaborated on his government's support with the following quote:
“With the world’s longest coastline, bordering three oceans that are critical to the lives and livelihood of many Canadians, Canada is an ocean nation...That’s why, along with our partners, our government is committed to reducing plastic pollution, and ensuring the conservation and regeneration of our ocean ecosystems for future generations.”
-Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries
Additionally, Canada's government claims that its proposed ban on harmful single‑use plastics would prevent more than 23,000 tons of plastic pollution from entering the environment over a ten-year period – the equivalent of one million garbage bags of litter.
South Korea's endorsement is a welcome addition to the list, as South Koreans on average generate the third most plastic out of any country's citizens, directly behind the UK and US. South Korea has struggled to track the problem of domestic plastic pollution in recent years - something a treaty would help encourage, as Jang Yong-chul, a professor of environmental engineering at Chungnam National University, told The Washington Post last Tuesday.
“South Korea has a long way to go,” he said.
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Demystifying the UNEA 5.2 Process
Creating a global treaty is not a simple process, and UN rules can be hard for outsiders to understand. Fortunately for all of us, at the US Country Dialogues on January 29th, Tim Grabiel from the Environmental Investigation Agency explained the lead up to UNEA step by step. Watch his presentation here!
Rwanda/Peru vs Japan Resolutions
At OPLN's Global Treaty Dialogues IV on February 9th, we heard presentations that delved into the details of the first two draft resolutions that will be discussed at UNEA 5.2. Other organizations have gone more in-depth on the treaty texts and analysis, so, for brevity's sake, we wanted to limit our analysis to the key areas of convergence and key differences between the draft resolutions from Japan and Rwanda/Peru.
Areas of convergence:
At the moment, both texts generally agree on the need for a rapid negotiation, the importance of an international negotiating committee (INC), and a legally binding agreement. There are also several elements common across the two resolutions, such as identifying National Action Plans, a multi-stakeholder approach in addressing the problem, and the need for technical support, new research, and innovations.
Key differences:
In order to expedite UNEA 5.2 proceedings, representatives from several UN member states have asked that the two original proposals be merged before the main meeting. Talks to achieve just that are currently underway.
“Japan has already started dialogue with Norway [which, as part of the EU, has endorsed Rwanda/Peru],” said Shahriar Hossain, Secretary General of the Bangladesh-based non-profit Environment and Social Development Organization. “I believe that nobody is interested in going for a vote, so they will come up with some compromise plan.”
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India's Draft Resolution
Giving remarks at the Ocean One Summit on February 11th, Indian PM Narendra Modi lauded his nation's recent action on the plastic crisis. “India recently undertook a nationwide awareness campaign to clean plastic and other waste from coastal areas," he said. "Three hundred thousand young people collected almost 13 tons of plastic waste. I’ve also directed our Navy to contribute 100 ship days this year to cleaning plastic waste from the seas.”
Modi added, “India will be happy to join France in launching a global initiative on single-use plastic.”
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Modi gives his remarks at the One Ocean Summit
This statement echoes the text of India's recent draft resolution, submitted late in the process, that has created some confusion around India's general approach to the treaty. India’s draft proposal for the treaty negotiations seems to call for a non-binding, voluntary framework with a narrow focus on single-use plastic product pollution. In contrast, both Japan and Rwanda/Peru's drafts advocate for a binding agreement. It is still unclear how India’s recent proposal will fit within this framework, as its draft proposal in its current form cannot be merged as easily as the other two drafts being discussed.
Figuring this out in the next few weeks will be crucial, as India's ultimate position on plastic pollution heavily inform the direction global treaty discourse. Critics have noted that one area where India has excelled in the plastics issue is recognizing the importance informal waste workers and their inclusion in waste management systems, for example by helping to train informal workers to run a recycling facility in the coastal city of Mangalore.
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More Headlines
OPLN news recommendations are a composite pulse of the most important stories coming out about the oceans plastics crisis. They are informational for our activist-to-industry network, not endorsements.
China Pledges to "Engage Actively and Constructively" in UNEA Negotiations
In a statement with the G77 on February 3rd, China stated its support for starting negotiations on plastic pollution, calling for “ambitious goals and equally ambitious means of implementation”, pledging to “engage actively and constructively in the negotiation of the different tabled resolutions.”
It goes without saying that China's participation in this treaty is vital to solving the global plastics crisis. In 2020, the Chinese economy produced about 60 million tons of plastic waste, of which about 16 million tons was recycled, according to the China National Resources Recycling Association. Additionally, out of the 300 companies that own most of the world's single-use plastic production facilities, a third are from China.
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"Plastics production is skyrocketing. A new U.N. treaty effort could cap it." The Washington Post | 2.8.2022
OPLN recommends this article as an illustration of where several stakeholder groups find themselves in the leadup to talks in Nairobi. One viewpoint offered is the current position of the American Chemistry Council:
The plastics industry says it wants an agreement but one that it says would create more incentives for private businesses to come up with innovative ways to address plastic pollution.
Restricting and regulating the production of plastic “is a very shortsighted approach to take,” said Joshua Baca, vice president of plastics at the American Chemistry Council, the trade association for chemicals manufacturers, “because not only are we in the midst of a supply chain crisis where everything from raw materials to finished products are very difficult to get your hands on, we’re going to then on top of that put some massive regulation scheme that will be very difficult to implement and will probably result in further supply chain disruption when we least can afford it.”
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Scientists’ Declaration on the Need for Governance of Plastics Throughout their Lifecycles
Dozens of scientists have responded to UNEP's most recent assessment in plastic, arguing that we need much more ambitious approaches towards a solution: one that considers the full life cycle of plastics instead of focusing on waste management.
They emphasize the importance of using both scientific findings and Traditional Knowledge, Innovations and Practices (TKIP) of local communities and indigenous communities to base the treaty on.
"We conclude that the rapid rise in plastic production has entirely omitted consideration of the precautionary principle, lacked recognition for the multiple negative externalities, and lacked consideration for end-of-life at the design stage of plastic products.”
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Global Alliance of Waste Pickers Weighs in on EPR
Just in time for UNEA 5.2, the Global Alliance of Waste Pickers, with support from Women in Informal Employment Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), have released recommendations for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schema that integrates waste pickers.
The foundational demands in the position paper revolve on the topics of waste picker research, co-production, and improved packaging for waste management. Read more about the position here.
The Global Alliance is inviting organizations and allies to endorse their position in hopes that this will help them assert their ideas at upcoming negotiations. Fill out this form to add your organization
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In Closing...
Let's remind ourselves of the scope of this problem.
Microplastics have been found about as far away as you can get from people, namely, at Point Nemo in the South Pacific Gyre. The nearest humans to Point Nemo are often in the International Space Station, 240 miles above. Even here, there are about 26 particles of microplastics per cubic meter.
As we continue to find plastics in our food supplies, drinking water, marine life, and the most remote spot on earth, we hope UNEA 5.2 will bring us together with one common goal: End the flow of plastics into our oceans.
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