GENEVA, August 15, 2025 — Following the conclusion of the fifth resumed session of the intergovernmental negotiating committee to advance a plastics treaty (INC-5.2), the Center for International Environmental Law Environmental Health Program Director and Head of Delegation, David Azoulay, issued the following statement:
“Make no mistake, INC-5.2 has been an abject failure. When faced with a failure of this magnitude, it’s essential to learn from it. In the final days of the negotiations, we have clearly seen what many of us have known for some time — some countries did not come here to finalize a text, they came here to do the opposite: block any attempt at advancing a viable treaty. It’s impossible to find a common ground between those who are interested in protecting the status quo and the majority who are looking for a functional treaty that can be strengthened over time.
“While the negotiations will continue, they will fail if the process does not change. When a process is broken, as this one is, it is essential for countries to identify the necessary solutions to fix it and then do it. We need a restart, not a repeat performance. Countries that want a treaty must now leave this process and form a treaty of the willing. And that process must include options for voting that deny the tyranny of consensus we have watched play out here.
“The world does not need more plastic. The people know it, doctors know it, scientists know it, and the markets know it. The movement to end plastic pollution goes beyond just the treaty, and it does not end here. Together, we will continue to rise to push back every step of the way, wherever we need to go.”
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