About
A TESS initiative supporting the achievement of an ambitious, effective, and fair treaty that strengthens the international cooperation needed to end plastic pollution.
In a remarkable achievement, 175 UN member states agreed on a resolution to launch negotiations on a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution at the Fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) on 2 March 2022. The resolution set in motion a process for concluding a new plastics treaty. This TESS initiative supports the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) and the achievement of an ambitious, effective, and fair treaty that strengthens the international cooperation needed to end plastic pollution.
Perpetual Plastic ©Von Wong – https://www.vonwong.com/BTS/2023PerpetualPlastic/n-VTVSmJ/Fire-Photos/i-pF2CtRd/A
Historic Negotiations to End Plastic Pollution
Since the launch of negotiations following the adoption of UNEA resolution 5/14, TESS has supported the work of the INC. Our team has been on the ground at each negotiating session, endeavoring to advance an ambitious, effective, and fair treaty that strengthens the international cooperation and collective action needed to tackle the plastics crisis.
Our ongoing efforts to support the treaty process include the co-organization of public events, publication of policy reports and technical information documents, and the hosting of informal dialogues on several indispensable, but challenging, elements of the negotiations. In this regard, our work has focused on problematic plastic products and chemicals of concern in plastics, product design, primary production, consumption and production of plastics, and financing, as well as the importance of operationalizing the protection of human health as a core objective of the treaty.
Alongside, TESS has supported the work of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution as part of its Secretariat function.
We have further supported the work of the INC by promoting cooperation on where and how trade and trade-related policies are relevant to international efforts to tackle plastic pollution, and how cooperation on trade can support the treaty and its implementation. In this regard, we have actively participated in the WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution, providing inputs through statements, policy papers and events looking at critical issues at the intersection of trade, plastic pollution, and sustainable development.
"Concluding an ambitious new international treaty fit for the purpose of ending plastic pollution will require attention to how countries can foster the international economic cooperation needed to transform the plastics economy, support just transitions, and generate new economic opportunities, especially for developing countries."
Carolyn Deere Birkbeck - Founder and Executive Director TESS
Finalizing a Treaty to Tackle Plastic Pollution
Negotiators are meeting from 5 to 14 August at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, for the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5.2). The session provides a vital opportunity for the international community to craft a treaty that tackles plastic pollution.
Following is a sample of some of our activities to support the negotiations and treaty process.
"A shared objective of protecting the environment and human health from the adverse impacts of plastic pollution will be a vital guide for how the treaty’s obligations are crafted and implemented. An effective treaty will be one that is both ambitious and fair, combining common global rules with a responsiveness to different national circumstances and capabilities, along with equally ambitious means of implementation, including financing, capacity building, and technology transfer.”
Carolyn Deere Birkbeck - Founder and Executive Director TESS
