Commencement of final negotiations on a worldwide accord concerning plastics
The United Nations is currently hosting a round of negotiations in Geneva for a global agreement against plastic pollution. Over 170 countries, including Germany, are participating in these talks, which have been ongoing since 2022.
The goal of these negotiations is to decide if a global deal to curb plastic pollution moves forward. The current status of the agreement following the INC-5.2 round in Geneva is that no legally binding treaty was finalized or agreed upon.
The talks aimed to produce the world’s first legally binding global treaty addressing plastic pollution throughout the full lifecycle—from design and production to disposal. However, differences between country groups remained irreconcilable, especially between the "High Ambition Coalition" and petrochemical-exporting states.
The treaty would have included measures such as caps on plastic production, phase-out of harmful chemicals, circular economy standards, and robust financial mechanisms to support implementation. However, these provisions were not agreed upon.
Attempts to regulate the full lifecycle of plastics and protect marine ecosystems—including controlling “ghost gear” (abandoned fishing gear)—were significantly weakened or missing in the draft text.
Youth and civil society representatives called for binding targets, strong finance, and embedding human rights, but these demands did not translate into treaty text due to political deadlock.
Jochen Flasbarth, Germany's State Secretary, expressed optimism about the negotiations, stating that they can succeed if all parties truly listen to each other and harmonize their interests. However, the process is now suspended indefinitely with the possibility of a future session (INC-5.3) but no concrete date or clear path forward, reflecting continuing procedural uncertainty and disagreement.
Advocacy groups emphasize “no treaty is better than a weak treaty,” advocating for reform in the negotiation process and continued efforts to reach consensus. The fight to ensure enforceable, ambitious global measures to reduce plastic pollution, including production limits, elimination of harmful plastics, circular economy approaches, and financial commitments, continues.
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