A statement by Ms. Gohar Khojayan from AWHHE NGO at the Second Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution INC-2

The need for a global agreement that protects human health and the environment from chemicals in plastics.

The second meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC1) of the Plastics Treaty took place from 29 May – 2 June 2023 in Paris, France.

 

CG2 IPEN statement, 1/6/2023

The statement was made by Ms. Gohar Khojayan participant from AWHHE NGO at the Second Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution INC-2

 

Thank you, Madame. co-facilitator

I represent Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment, speaking on behalf of IPEN, a global network of more than 600 public interest, civil society organizations in more than 120 countries.

Pollution is recognized as a planetary crisis but, unlike climate and biodiversity, it does not have its own funding to implement the necessary measures. The chemicals and waste cluster is severely underfunded and despite a substantial GEF replenishment for the period 2022-2026, funding is insufficient to cover the implementation of existing Multilateral Environmental Agreements. Robust implementation will need financially supported enabling activities that are required to implement the obligations under the Treaty. These enabling activities would require financial support for, for example, capacity building, monitoring, reporting, and stakeholder participation.

In order to ensure that the implementation of the Plastics Treaty is duly funded, IPEN strongly supports the intervention from several countries calling for a dedicated plastics multilateral fund or funds that has new, additional, stable, accessible, adequate, timely and predictable funding for the Plastics Treaty and other related chemicals and waste MEAs, with Member States and other funding sources contributing funds for support.  Additionally, as many member states have pointed out that the polluter pays principle should be one of the underlying principles of the Treaty, the fund should be, at least in part, replenished through funds coming from the plastics, chemicals, and related industries, through globally coordinated fees, taxes, and mechanisms ensuring the internalisation of costs.

Responding to the richness of comments heard this morning on various elements of option 24 this morning, and the calls for further discussions, we believe it would be useful to establish an intercessional process between INC2 and 3 to further explore the diverse finance mechanisms proposed.

Thank you.

 

Chemical Threats to Health and Biodiversity Taking Center Stage in Plastics Treaty Talks