Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations to Resume in Geneva After Busan Impasse

The United Nations Environment Programme announced that negotiations for a global plastics treaty will resume in Geneva, Switzerland, from August 5 to 14. This follows a failure to reach a final agreement in Busan, South Korea, last December. The fifth U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting, intended to finalize a legally binding treaty, was stymied by disagreements over capping plastic production, managing problematic plastic products and chemicals, and providing financial aid to developing nations. Over 100 countries supported a draft with a global production reduction target, while oil and petrochemical-producing states opposed production caps. The upcoming negotiations in Geneva may face further challenges due to strained international diplomacy.