Planeteers and Wisdom Council Members, Zara (15) and Ashton (14) Hawkins, attended the INC-5 in Busan, South Korea this past November. Read their insights and experience below!
Zara, what is INC-5?
Since 2022, the United Nations has been negotiating a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. This treaty will be called ’A Global Plastics Treaty to End Plastic Pollution Including in the Marine Environment’ (quite the mouthful!), or ‘The Global Plastics Treaty’.
Once complete, this treaty will be legally binding, meaning those that do not comply could face prosecution, and reach across all UN Nations. If successful, this treaty will be similar to the Montreal Protocol (the treaty that sparked the ban of the toxic aerosol sprays that were destroying the ozone layer in the ’90s) and the Paris Agreement in 2015.
It was agreed that this treaty would be completed over 5 negotiations, called ‘International Negotiating Committees’ or ‘INCs’. Each INC was to be held on different continents. The first was held in Uruguay in late 2022, the 2nd in Paris, France, the 3rd in Nairobi, Kenya, the 4th in Ottawa, Canada, and the 5th (INC-5) in Busan, S. Korea last December. In total, I’ve had the honor of attending INC-2, 4 & 5.
Inside the main INC-5 plenary, government representatives negotiate the larger details of how the treaty will look, while the finer details are negotiated in smaller ‘contact groups’ – each on a different subject, such as chemicals of concern, and downstream measures (waste management). For all but the most confidential discussions, observers are allowed in the room to take notes and make the occasional intervention on behalf of their organizations.
Outside of the negotiations, there were side events where both observers and negotiators alike could exchange ideas and information, hold informal meetings, and visit plastic pollution-focused exhibits highlighting solutions.
While INC-5 was due to be the final negotiation for this treaty, decision-makers were unfortunately unable to complete the text in time. Therefore, there will need to be a 6th negotiation, within the next few months. While the date, location, and name of this 6th session are yet to be announced, participants at INC-5 gave it the nickname: INC-5.2.
Ashton, what are some takeaways from this conference?
The first takeaway was that when we all put our heads down and work on this treaty, progress is possible to address the full life cycle of plastic – from production cuts to waste cleanup schemes. The second is that although the voices of the unambitious nations were loud, we were still able to make progress and fight for a better future. And on the last day, people were wearing stickers that said “Ban It Now” and “Not a Fossil Fuel Lobbyist”. The third takeaway was that though this treaty will (hopefully) be ratified later this year, the impact of this international legally binding instrument (ILBI) will last for years, with production caps, plastic taxes, and cleanup funds.
Zara, what are some roadblocks you faced leading up to the INC and how did you overcome them?
On the official UN registration page, there is an official ‘no under 18s’ sign. This rule directly excludes those under 18 from taking part in this vital negotiation. Even though, it is the future generations that will have to deal with the consequences of the product of these negotiations, be it good or bad, and deserve to have a say in our futures.
This was a huge barrier that stopped many under-18s, who would otherwise have attended, from taking part – such as Planeteers Jeremy at INC-2 and Robin at INC-4.
The process of overcoming this boundary was a long one, that required writing to UNEP for them to make an exception, on the condition that we would have an adult chaperone to safeguard us at all times. It turns out, UNEP just didn’t want to have to worry about safeguarding for under-18s, so decided to exclude that entire age group instead of just asking for a chaperone on registration.
Our experience shows that under-18s can not just take part in these negotiations without being a nuisance, but can provide benefits to the event that would not already be there and have a unique perspective to bring to the table. While we were fortunate to be given a way around this rule, I believe future negotiations would really greatly benefit from an absence of this rule – we’re crossing our fingers for the next one (INC-5.2).
Ashton, what is something encouraging that you experienced at this conference?
I think it was encouraging to see that we are bridging the gap of ‘multilateralism’. The countries that will be affected negatively by this treaty, because their economies are based on fossil fuels and the production of plastic, have been trying to slow negotiations down. At this treaty, over 100 countries really want an instrument that is not only strong (in the fact of production cuts, etc.) but fair and inclusive for everyone, without leaving out minorities like waste pickers during the transition to the solutions. During the next INC-5.2, we hopefully can actually finish this process with a strong, ambitious, and future-proof treaty to end plastic pollution once and for all.