Member States will be invited to start INC-3 negotiations in Nairobi on the basis of the zero draft text
Photo: @andersen_inger / Twitter The intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution released a zero draft on September 4, 2023, ahead of its third session in Nairobi from November 13-19.
The text of the draft, prepared by the INC Chair, is guided by the views expressed at the INC’s first and second sessions, a statement by the United Nations Environment Programme said. It also reflects the objective and mandate of United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution 5/14, the statement added.
The text is divided into four parts. Part I covers the objectives of the instrument and leaves placeholders, as requested at the second session of the committee from May 29-June 2 for elements that Members may wish to include but were not discussed at the second session.
Elements in Part II are broadly structured around the life cycle of plastics and plastic products with the aim of addressing plastic pollution.
The options in Part II aim to collectively promote the sustainable production and consumption of plastics through product design and environmentally sound waste management, including through resource efficiency and circular economy approaches.
This is consistent with paragraph 3(b) of the UNEA resolution 5/14.
The third and fourth parts outline different options of measures aimed at collectively addressing the implementation of the instrument. This is consistent with paragraphs 3(c) through (p) of UNEA resolution 5/14.
Member States will be invited to start INC-3 negotiations in Nairobi on the basis of the zero draft text.
The INC Secretariat will also prepare a synthesis report of the submissions received on elements not discussed at INC-2, such as principles and scope of the instrument, to be released in October.
INC-2 had ended on June 2 in Paris after several delays and an agreement to develop a zero draft text. INC-1 was held last year in Uruguay’s Punta Del Este. It ended on December 2, 2022. The first session implicitly endorsed the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)’s position that plastic pollution is rooted in the material’s lifecycle
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