NAIROBI, KENYA — The second part of the Fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) concluded on Wednesday night, with the historic passage of a mandate to advance an international treaty on plastic production, the establishment of an Intergovernmental Panel on Chemicals, and a wide variety of measures to address chemicals and waste.
Despite the hybrid nature of the event, opportunities for robust in-person and digital stakeholder participation facilitated the advancement of groundbreaking provisions that have the capacity to advance human rights and environmental justice for communities all around the world – if governments take the opportunity in front of them, and negotiate an ambitious new instrument.
At the conclusion of UNEA, members of the CIEL delegation issued the following statements:
Andrés Del Castillo, Senior Attorney
“Coming out of UNEA, we have a mandate that can serve as a meaningful scaffolding for a legally-binding instrument on the full life cycle of plastics, that pays special attention to the marine environment. With detailed, specific provisions throughout the mandate, we have the ingredients to craft a treaty that is comprehensive in scope and that sufficiently addresses the plastic crisis. But the ninety hours of hard-fought negotiations also reveal that the road ahead will not be simple or easy — there is still much to be done to ensure that the resulting treaty delivers on its promises for health, climate, biodiversity, and human rights.”
Jane Patton, Plastics & Petrochemicals Campaign Manager
“Establishing this mandate for an international legally binding treaty on plastics was only possible because of the incredible civil society and stakeholders who coordinated to advocate with our governments from across the world, representing folks affected by every phase of the plastic life cycle. We have come together to advance critical information and positions to change the direction of negotiations. This work is evident in references in the negotiation mandate to human health, the relevance of climate to the plastics crisis, and for the first time, acknowledgement of traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and the recognition of the essential role that waste pickers play in solutions to the plastics crisis. Now, as we head into the hard work of negotiating the treaty itself, it will be essential to ensure that the doors to public participation remain open and that human rights and social and environmental justice remain foundational to the treaty.”
Giulia Carlini, Senior Attorney
“The resolution ‘for a Science-Policy Panel to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution’ is a welcome effort to direct even greater attention to the numerous health and environmental issues surrounding chemicals and waste. In the months ahead, there will be many opportunities to ensure that the future panel fulfills its intention and remains relevant. But the decision to remove text from the draft resolution that affirms the right to science lays open opportunities to manipulate science. As the Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights affirmed last year: it is critical to safeguard against the manipulation of science and the manufacturing of disinformation, especially from the industry.”
David Azoulay, Senior Attorney, Director of Environmental Health program
“The historic nature of the mandate cannot be understated. Six years ago, a legally-binding treaty that addresses the full life cycle of plastics seemed impossible and today’s announcement is the result of multiple movements coming together to understand and address an emergency. The power of this movement is evident in what we’ve been able to accomplish together. And coupled with the commitments expressed by countries such as Peru, Rwanda, Norway, and the Euroepan Union, to ensure we have a sufficient response to the plastics crisis is nothing short of extraordinary. Now, as we turn to negotiate a plastics treaty, we must continue to work together to ensure that the most robust protections for health, climate, biodiversity, and human rights are not watered down or undermined by Parties or industry.”
Media contact:
Cate Bonacini — CIEL Communications Manager, press@ciel.org | +1-510-520-9109.
Posted on March 2, 2022