A decision taken after five days of laborious negotiations. A “first version” of the future international treaty against plastic pollution must be drafted by November, decided 175 countries gathered in Paris, Friday, June 2.
The resolution, proposed after a final meeting led by France and Brazil, was adopted in plenary session Friday evening at the Paris headquarters of Unesco. According to this text, “the International Negotiating Committee (INC) requests its Chairman to prepare, with the assistance of the Secretariat, a draft first version of the legally binding international treaty”. This first version will be examined in November during the third meeting of this committee in Nairobi (Kenya), with a view to a final treaty by the end of 2024.
The negotiators, meeting since Monday, could not get to the heart of the matter until Wednesday evening, after two days of blocking by Gulf countries, China, Brazil and India. This deadlock was linked to the question of whether or not to use a two-thirds majority vote, in the event of a lack of unanimity during the future examination of a draft treaty. Resolution of the controversy was postponed.
A production that could triple by 2060
The aim is to develop a legally binding treaty by the end of 2024, covering the entire life cycle of plastic. This document is eagerly awaited, given the growing scale of the plastic crisis in parallel with the climate and biodiversity crises.
The stakes are high: the annual production of plastic has more than doubled in twenty years, to reach 460 million tonnes. It could triple by 2060 if nothing is done. Countries must agree despite diverging ambitions, and under opposing pressure from certain industries and NGOs.
After the next meeting in Kenya, negotiations will continue in Canada in April 2024, to be concluded in South Korea at the end of 2024.