What is Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution?

About Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution:

• In March 2022, at the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly, a historic resolution was adopted to develop an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
• The resolution requested the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to convene an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop “the instrument,” which is to be based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic, including its production, design, and disposal.
• The objective of the global plastics treaty is to set a global framework of standards around accountability, responsibilities, financing, material/chemical standards, import/export restrictions, targets. 
• From this global framework, countries will be tasked with implementing globally aligned policies that meet the targets set.
• An INC has been established, which will meet five times to develop the specific content of the new ILBI by the end of 2024.
• The INC began its work during the second half of 2022, with the ambition to complete the negotiations by the end of 2024.
• The first session of the INC (INC-1) took place in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 28 November to 2 December 2022, followed by a second session (INC-2) from 29 May to 2 June 2023 in Paris, France, and a third session (INC-3) from 13 to 19 November 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya.
• INC-5, scheduled for 25 November to 1 December 2024 in Busan, Republic of Korea, is intended as the end of the INC process.

It will be followed by a Diplomatic Conference where Heads of State will sign the agreement.

Q1: What is the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)?

UNEP is the leading global authority on the environment. UNEP’s mission is to inspire, inform, and enable nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. It works with governments, civil society, the private sector and UN entities to address humanity’s most pressing environmental challenges – from restoring the ozone layer to protecting the world’s seas and promoting a green, inclusive economy.

Source: Pivotal fourth session of negotiations on a global plastics treaty opens in Ottawa

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