United Nations Environment Programme Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee

Topic: Developing an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment

Working Language: English

Delegation: Single Delegation

Rules of Procedure: Beijing Rules of Procedure (Motion-oriented)

Introduction to the Committee and Topic:

Worldwide production increased exponentially, from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons by 2015. Production is expected to double by 2050. Most of the plastic trash in the oceans flows from land. Plastic microfibers, meanwhile, have been found in municipal drinking water systems and drifting through the air. Plastic pollution has a lethal impact on many species, alters global carbon cycling, and contributes to climate change as well. The accumulation of plastic waste in the environment not only threatens biodiversity but also has far-reaching implications for the planet’s ecological balance and human well being.

For a long time, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been dedicated to addressing the issue of plastic pollution, persistently undertaking initiatives aimed at ameliorating the associated environmental challenges. The United Nations Environment Programme Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) refers to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee which was established pursuant to UNEA resolution 5/14 entitled “End plastic pollution: towards an international legally binding instrument”. The INC is to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, which could include both binding and voluntary approaches, based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic, taking into account, among other things, the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, as well as national circumstances and capabilities. During the four sessions of the conference, significant progress has been achieved, with more than 2,300 delegates from 160 countries attending the conference and discussing the issue comprehensively and openly. While states have reached some degree of consensus on the structure and elements of the text of the treaty, differences remain in key areas, and more time is needed to resolve them.

In this committee, the delegates will be confronted with a continuous and complex issue. The directors hope that the delegates can fully understand the background information, give full play to their creativity, fully participate in the negotiation and explore feasible ways to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution and protect our only planet.