ASH joins the Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance in attending the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Conference (INC-5) of the United Nations Treaty to End Plastic Pollution in Busan, Republic of Korea from November 25 – December 1, 2024. ASH’s Chief Operating Officer Liz Furgurson will share updates and progress here for our community to stay engaged and informed.
Monday, November 25, 2024 – Thank you to the Republic of Korea and our local colleagues for your warm hospitality and for welcoming us all to your lovely city of Busan.
Yesterday, regional consultations were held, and NGO observers were invited to attend an informal session for discussions with INC Chair Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen, and the INC Secretariat.
Today, the opening plenary session began with welcomes, good wishes and commitments to finishing the job.
Member States and Observers were welcomed to the session by INC Chair Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen, INC Secretariat Executive Director Jyoti Mathur-Filipp. Andersen reminded us to focus on what is important and urgent: don’t lower the bar so that the treaty becomes meaningless.
President of Republic of Korea Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol addressed the Committee and observers via video statement encouraging dedicated and focused work in order to finalize the text of the treaty.
As expected, there was considerable debate on the issue of decision making via consensus and acceptance of the non-paper put forward by the Chair as the starting point of negotiations for the week versus the previous compilation of heavily bracketed text from the end of INC4. The debate carried over into the late afternoon with most Member States indicating their desire to move into Contact Groups quickly so that work could begin. Thank you to Rwanda for calling for the delays to end and insisting that we move forward.
The Committee moved into Contact Groups beginning at 7:30pm.
Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA) members and environmental colleagues organized a fruitful lunchtime session: Towards an Accountable Plastics Treaty – Norms and Practices to Advance Justice and Prevent Conflicts of Interest. Thank you to the University of Edinburgh for sponsoring the crucial event.
National Member States and Observers were invited to submit written opening statements for the plenary session. Read ASH’s statement here>
In a notable change, the U.S. delegation included cigarette filters in a short list of products to be dealt with, read their statement here>
Stayed tuned for further updates throughout the week – ASH and STPA will be following the negotiations in Contact Groups 1 and 4 closely where references to health, cigarette filters, tobacco product waste, and the WHO FCTC are likely to be raised. Plenary Sessions are streamed live via UN Television.
ASH’s Key Points for INC-5 are available to review in: English | Spanish | French
