UN Environment Assembly to Develop Legally Binding Agreement to End Plastic Pollution

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) in Nairobi, Kenya passed a historic resolution to launch an international legally binding agreement by 2024, aimed at ending world’s plastic pollution. The resolution covers the full lifecycle of plastic, including production, design and disposal.

The resolution is based on three initial draft resolutions from different nations. It proposes establishment of an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), which is expected to commence its work during the current year. The works of the committee will lead to completion of a draft agreement by end of 2024. The draft will present diverse alternatives to address the full lifecycle of plastics.

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By the end of 2022, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) plans to convene a forum, which will see participation by all stakeholders. The forum intends to share knowledge and best practices in various parts of the world. Open discussions will be encourages over the next two-year period. At the completion of discussion period, UNEP will convene a diplomatic conference to adopt the final outcomes.

Commenting on the development, Inger Anderson, Executive Director, UNEPP said that it is the most significant environmental multilateral deal after the Paris Accord. It is an insurance policy for the present and future generations, so that they live with plastic, without being doomed by it, he added.