Following 10 days of negotiations, the UNEP Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) talks to develop an international, legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, adjourned early on 15 August without reaching a consensus on a text for the instrument. The Committee agreed to resume negotiations at a future date to be announced.
The meeting adjourned with a clearly expressed desire by Member States to continue the process, recognizing the significant difference of views between states.
This resumed fifth session (INC-5.2) saw more than 2,600 participants gather at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, including over 1,400 Member delegates from 183 countries, and close to 1,000 Observers representing over 400 organizations. Some 70 Ministers and Vice Ministers, as well as 30 other high-level representatives, also held informal roundtables on the margins of the session.
“This has been a hard-fought 10 days against the backdrop of geopolitical complexities, economic challenges, and multilateral strains. However, one thing remains clear: despite these complexities, all countries want to stay at the table.
“While we did not land the treaty text we hoped for, we at UNEP will continue the work against plastic pollution – pollution that is in our groundwater, in our soil, in our rivers, in our oceans and yes, in our bodies,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The goal of INC-5.2 was to agree on the instrument’s text and to highlight unresolved issues that require further preparatory work ahead of a diplomatic conference. The session followed a structured approach, beginning with an opening plenary and transitioning into four contact groups that addressed key areas, including plastic design, chemicals of concern, production caps, finance, and compliance. This was followed by a stocktake plenary, informal consultations, and concluded with a closing plenary on 15 August.
A Chair’s Text from INC-5.1 in Busan served as the starting point for negotiations at INC-5.2, with the Chair releasing a Draft Text Proposal and a Revised Text Proposal throughout the session. Despite intensive engagement, Members of the Committee were unable to reach a consensus on the proposed texts.
“Failing to reach the goal we set for ourselves may bring sadness, even frustration. Yet it should not lead to discouragement. On the contrary, it should spur us to regain our energy, renew our commitments, and unite our aspirations,” said INC Chair Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso.
“It has not happened yet in Geneva, but I do not doubt that the day will come when the international community will unite its will and join hands to protect our environment and safeguard the health of our people.”
This INC process commenced in March 2022, at the resumed fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), when a historic resolution was adopted to develop an international, legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
“As this session concludes, we leave with an understanding of the challenges ahead and a renewed and shared commitment to address them,” said Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary of the INC Secretariat. “Progress must now be our obligation.”
The session also involved the active participation of civil society – including Indigenous Peoples, waste pickers, artists, young people, and scientists – who raised their voices through protests, art installations, press briefings and events at and around the Palais.
The Geneva session follows INC 5.1, which took place in November/December 2024 in Busan, Republic of Korea. The meeting was preceded by four sessions: INC-1 in Punta del Este, November 2022, INC-2 in Paris, June 2023, INC-3 in Nairobi, November 2023, and INC-4 in Ottawa, April 2024.
