Latest news with #IntergovernmentalNegotiatingCommittee
Daily News Egypt
25-05-2025
- Business
- Daily News Egypt
Egypt, France coordinate ahead of UN Ocean Conference to combat plastic pollution
Egypt's Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, held a virtual meeting on Saturday with French Minister for Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, to strengthen cooperation ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference scheduled for June in Nice, France. The ministers discussed Egypt's active participation in the conference and explored collaborative measures to address plastic pollution, with a special focus on the Mediterranean region. The meeting included senior Egyptian officials, such as the heads of the Environmental Affairs Agency and the Waste Management Regulatory Authority. Fouad commended France's leadership in ocean protection and biodiversity conservation and called for a unified Mediterranean strategy addressing key challenges including the blue economy, biodiversity frameworks, and plastic pollution. She proposed that the conference adopt 'Blue Economy and Mediterranean Sustainability' as a central theme, especially as Egypt prepares to host the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea later this year. The dialogue also covered ongoing international negotiations for a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution under the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC). Fouad reaffirmed Egypt's support for a balanced and transparent agreement that respects the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, while ensuring financial support for developing countries to meet their environmental targets. 'Plastic is essential in many areas, but we must reduce its harmful impact through investment in recycling technologies and by phasing out unnecessary uses,' Fouad stated. She highlighted Egypt's recent reforms, including a Cabinet decision introducing extended producer responsibility and fees on single-use plastic bags, following two years of consultations with industry stakeholders. The minister also highlighted grassroots efforts such as the Nile cleanup program, which engages local fishermen and women in plastic waste recovery and recycling, creating green jobs and supporting sustainable community development. France's Pannier-Runacher welcomed Egypt's proactive approach and emphasized the urgency of reaching a global agreement to reduce plastic consumption and redesign production models. She noted that plastic alternatives and enhanced recycling are critical to reducing ocean pollution and preserving marine biodiversity. Minister Fouad has been officially invited to attend the Ocean Conference, where she will lead a high-level roundtable showcasing Egypt's achievements in nature conservation and plastic reduction. This event will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Mediterranean Action Plan, underscoring the region's ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability.
Korea Herald
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Greenpeace activists, banned from leaving S. Korea, attend first trial hearing
Five Greenpeace activists, including the captain of the group's iconic Rainbow Warrior ship, appeared in a Seoul courtroom on Friday for the first hearing related to a protest staged last November during a global plastics summit in Busan. The activists — UK, German and Mexican nationals — have been charged with obstruction of business and unlawful intrusion onto a vessel. The charges stem from a demonstration held off the coast of Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, coinciding with the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution. During the protest, the activists boarded a vessel transporting plastic resin and unfurled a banner that read 'Strong Plastics Treaty,' urging negotiators to push for a binding international agreement to reduce plastic production. Following the hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, the activists held a press conference outside the courthouse, reiterating their call for a robust global treaty to address plastic pollution at its source. All five individuals have been prohibited from leaving South Korea, pending the outcome of the trial.
Korea Herald
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
5 Greenpeace activists, banned from leaving S. Korea, attend first trial hearing
Five Greenpeace activists, including the captain of the group's iconic Rainbow Warrior ship, appeared in a Seoul courtroom on Friday for the first hearing related to a protest staged last November during a global plastics summit in Busan. The activists — UK, German and Mexican nationals — have been charged with obstruction of business and unlawful intrusion onto a vessel. The charges stem from a demonstration held off the coast of Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, coinciding with the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution. During the protest, the activists boarded a vessel transporting plastic resin and unfurled a banner that read 'Strong Plastics Treaty,' urging negotiators to push for a binding international agreement to reduce plastic production. Following the hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, the activists held a press conference outside the courthouse, reiterating their call for a robust global treaty to address plastic pollution at its source. All five individuals have been prohibited from leaving South Korea, pending the outcome of the trial.
Associated Press
14-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Global Plastics Treaty: The Journey of the Past Five Meetings
Episode Summary With 2.7 billion people lacking access to waste management, this essential step in advancing a circular economy poses a significant challenge. In this opening episode for season 4 of Plastics Unwrapped, we look back on the previous 5 meetings of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) and discuss how we can find middle ground between industry and policy to end plastic pollution for good. Host: Maithreyi Seetharaman Show Producer: Lisa DesaiSound Production: Dow Creative Element Artwork: Dow Creative Element Episode Notes With 2.7 billion people lacking access to waste management, this essential step in advancing a circular economy poses a significant challenge. In this opening episode for season 4 of Plastics Unwrapped, we look back on the previous 5 meetings of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) and discuss how we can find middle ground between industry and policy to end plastic pollution for good. Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Dow
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
India highlights plastic phase-out resolution
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday recalled that India introduced a resolution on single-use plastics at the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly of the UNEP which was held in 2019, in a move that brought the issue of plastic pollution to the centre of global discourse. Speaking at the Conference of the Parties (COPs) to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions, in Geneva, Yadav highlighted that the effective execution of the BRS Conventions relies significantly on access to finance, technology transfer, capacity-building, technical assistance, and strengthened international cooperation. At the ministerial roundtable on 'Means of Implementation', the minister outlined India's integrated approach to implementing the conventions through national legislation such as the Environment (Protection) Act, the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, and the E-Waste Management Rules, 2016, which are supported by sustained investments in institutional and technical infrastructure. On the sidelines of the COPs, Yadav participated in a consultation meeting organized by Norway on the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution. He apprised participants of India's domestic initiatives such as the ban on identified single-use plastic items and the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging. 'India remains steadfast in its commitment to multilateral environmental cooperation and will continue to advocate for the interests of developing countries while ensuring equitable, science-based, and sustainable solutions for the planet,' a statement from environment ministry said. During a bilateral meeting with Katrin Schneeberger, director of the federal office for the environment, Switzerland, Yadav discussed matters related to the development of a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution, and India's support for the establishment of a Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals and Waste, as mandated by UNEA resolutions. HT reported on December 1 last year that the 5th Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution in Busan failed to agree on developing a treaty, pushing talks to another INC session in 2025. 'Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. The text still has have made tangible moves and I hope the committee can agree to use the draft text as starting point and basis of negotiation,' said Luis Vayas Valdivieso, chair of INC 5. Some developing nations including India and China opposed curbing primary polymer production, seeking instead to focus on plastic waste management. The High-Level Segment, on the theme of 'Make visible the invisible: Sound management of chemicals and wastes', of the BRS COPs features ministerial roundtables and interactive dialogues focused on collaborative global action.
