Pacific SIDs meet as UN plastics meeting continues in Geneva
artisteer / Getty Images/ iStockphoto
Finance has been debated at a UN meeting on formulating a plastics treaty.
Multiple meetings are continuing at the second part of the
fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee
, which aims to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
The session will run until 14 August.
Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are scheduled for a regional meeting on Tuesday in Geneva.
The Secretariat of Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) reported that decisions over finance, to support the goals of the treaty and its implementation, have made minimal progress. It said the debate over who pays and who receives still remains unresolved.
Fiji's permanent secretary for environment and climate change Dr Sivendra Michael said the financial mechanism is the heartbeat of the entire treaty.
"In negotiating this, it is very important to make sure it is pumping the right amount of blood to all parts of the treaty so we have enough resources to be able to tackle plastic pollution at every stage of its life cycle, and that those resources are appropriate to our special circumstances," he said.
"We don't produce plastic, we import it. So it's vital that we address the source."
Dr Michael said without accessible and predictable financial support, even a strong treaty would consist of empty promises.
"While we are talking about new and additional finance, climate change and biodiversity loss already have their own dedicated funding streams; and the underlying question is really - where will this money come from?
"We need countries that are most responsible for the plastics crisis and those with the capabilities to do so to contribute towards addressing it."
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee process was initiated following the adoption of UNEP Resolution 5/14 in March 2022, which called for the development of an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.
A study on plastic consumption published in 2024 warned that business as usual will result in
nearly double the amount of plastic pollution
.
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