Plastic pollution treaty not dead in the water: UN environment chief ...Middle East

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United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) executive director Inger Andersen told AFP in an exclusive interview that countries were not walking away, regardless of their sharp differences on combating the ever-growing problem, including in the oceans.

Supposedly final talks in South Korea in 2024 ended without a deal -- and a resumed effort in Geneva in August likewise collapsed.

“We left with greater clarity. And no-one has left the table,“ said Andersen.

'Totally doable'

More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, half of which is for single-use items.

Nearly half, or 46 percent, ends up in landfills, while 17 percent is incinerated and 22 percent is mismanaged and becomes litter.

As things stand, there is no timetable for when further talks might be held, and no countries have made formal offers to host them.

“This is totally doable. We just need to keep at it,“ she said.

UNEP has been shepherding the talks process, which began in 2022.

Andersen said Norway and Kenya convened a well-attended meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York last month.

Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Ecuador's ambassador to Britain who chaired the last three of six negotiation rounds, has announced he is stepping down, leaving the process rudderless.

Vayas's Geneva draft treaty text was instantly ripped apart by countries in brutal fashion, and while a revised effort gained some traction, the clock ran out.

“This is a very, very serious allegation,“ Andersen said.

She said the allegation had been referred to the UN's Office of Internal Oversight Services.

As for whether a new chair could provide fresh momentum, she said: “As always, when there’s change, there is a degree of a different mood.” - AFP

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