NICE, France – On the second day of the United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice, France (June 9-13), Ministers and representatives from 95 countries (the majority of United Nations Member States) released a declaration entitled, “The Nice Wake-Up Call for an Ambitious Plastics Treaty.”
The statement sets the stage for the next round of negotiations (INC-5.2) taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, from August 5-14. Following the release of the declaration, over 235 civil society organizations released their own statement in response, supporting the Nice declaration as a “floor, not a ceiling” of ambition in the upcoming talks.
Ana Rocha, GAIA’s global plastics policy director, stated, “We are heartened to see this demonstration of ambition from the majority of countries, who are showing a united front against the small number of petrochemical states trying to prevent a strong treaty. While there are several crucial elements missing from the statement, it is a strong starting point for negotiations. We now need these Member States to continue to stand their ground, and secure the historic treaty the world needs.”
Civil society leaders applauded the statement’s reaffirmation of the need for a treaty to have a global target for plastic production reduction, to phase out the most problematic plastic products and hazardous chemicals, and to include monitoring and reporting mechanisms to ensure that countries remain on target, as well as room to strengthen commitments based on emerging science, health, and environmental impacts.
However, the statement was missing a reference to a just transition, particularly for informal waste pickers and workers, and health and human rights, including rights of Indigenous Peoples. The statement does not fully emphasize systems shift, especially reuse and refill, a financial mechanism that enables implementation and compliance, and the need for national obligations to meet global targets.
Larisa de Orbe, from Acción Ecológica in Mexico, said, “We already have enough evidence of how human rights are violated throughout the entire plastics cycle. It is therefore essential that the spirit of the plastics treaty be the protection of human rights and environmental justice, rather than protecting the economic and political interests of polluters.”
Mohamed Kamal of the Greenish Foundation in Egypt said, “The Nice Wake-Up Call Declaration underscores the importance of strong positions on key articles and measures necessary to effectively address plastic pollution. However, it falls short in acknowledging the need for a new and independent financial mechanism, an essential element for ensuring the success of the treaty that was called for by over 120 countries in INC5 and championed by Africa.”
GAIA members also caution against harmful waste management approaches like “waste-to-energy” incineration, chemical “recycling,” and plastic credits, which will only exacerbate the plastics crisis.
A line in the statement also calls for standard decision-making practices if consensus cannot be reached. At previous INCs, petrochemical states have attempted to buck convention and stall progress by refusing to accept a provision for voting, essentially allowing a single member state to prevent the world from solving the plastic crisis.
Wong Si Peng of C4 Center in Malaysia states, “Decision-making through voting – once all efforts to reach consensus have been exhausted – is vital for the future Conference of Parties to be effective. Voting should not be misconstrued as abandoning alliances or cooperation – instead, through voting, member states protect both their sovereignty and the rights of the citizens they represent at the negotiation table.”
