The fifth session for a global plastics agreement
INC-5, or the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, will take place in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 25 November until 1 December. Representing a significant milestone in global efforts to combat plastic pollution, the final session will host national governments and stakeholders from around the world to negotiate a binding agreement to end plastic pollution.
With plastic pollution posing a threat to ecosystems, wildlife, and human health, INC-5 will present an opportunity for nations to come together and negotiate and agree on the elements of the treaty text. This is the final session where the world will finalise negotiations on the treaty text, with the aim of agreeing on a binding text that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics, including production, design, disposal, and legacy waste. GRID-Arendal will attend INC-5 in Korea to support the negotiations.
In March 2022, at UNEA-5.2, Member states adopted a historic resolution to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. Resolution 5/14 agreed for UNEP’s Executive Director to assemble an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) with the ambition to complete negotiations by the end of 2024. INC-1 took place in Punta del Este, Uruguay, at the end of 2022, and the second session (INC-2 followed in the summer of 2023 in Paris, France. INC-3 took place in November 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya, the headquarters of UNEP. INC-4 was held in Ottawa, Canada in April 2024.
We have collated our resources relevant to the global plastics treaty here.
