Global plastics treaty talks continue Aug. 5-14 in Geneva, Switzerland, as 175 nations seek to finalize an agreement.
This will mark the sixth and final planned meeting of the UN Environment Assembly, with the most recent session in Busan, South Korea, in 2024.
In the previous sessions, participants couldn’t resolve several key issues, including whether the treaty should focus on plastic waste reduction or the entire plastics lifecycle.
Major petroleum-producing nations, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, were among the countries pushing back against measures that would cut plastics production and require the listing or phasing out of certain chemicals.
Other key issues included the production of primary polymers and financing support to implement the treaty, according to the World Economic Forum.
The goal of the upcoming meeting, INC-5.2, is to resolve these issues and finalize the treaty. Finance will also be a focus, with discussions on a framework and means to implement the treaty.
