The fifth round of negotiations (#INC5) to agree on an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) to end plastic pollution took place from 25 November to 1 December in Busan, South Korea. Originally intended to be the last round of negotiations leading to a plastics treaty, UN member states failed to agree on such a treaty. Many stakeholders left disappointed, and both member states and observers will have to meet again at an INC5.2 in 2025 to continue their work to end plastic pollution. 

However, much progress was made. The text that serves as the basis for discussion is now much cleaner, and some draft provisions currently stand without [brackets] - although the group of countries that prefer to focus only on waste management and recycling, the so-called Like-Minded Countries (LMC), asked for the entire draft text to be bracketed - nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. However, the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution (HAC) is growing and so is support for an ambitious treaty: More than 100 countries supported the inclusion of Article 6 on [supply] [sustainable production] and the need for global targets to reduce primary plastic production. And 94 countries supported the inclusion of Article 3 on [plastic products]. 

When Juliet Kabera (Rwanda), on behalf of the HAC and others (85 countries in total), ended her statement at the last plenary by asking everyone to stand up for high ambition, the overwhelming majority of the plenary stood up and applauded, showing their will for high ambition in the treaty. These member states must now prepare well for the next round(s) of negotiations and the work to be done in between. So, yes, the Treaty is not yet agreed. But much progress has been made, and ambitious countries have finally found common ground to stand together and speak with one voice, underlining that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. 

The week has been deeply rewarding on a personal level, with the opportunity to closely follow the negotiations on the ground as part of a group of over 70 colleagues from the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty. United by a shared commitment to addressing the plastic pollution crisis, the coalition emphasizes the urgency of the issue, as highlighted by clear scientific evidence, and the critical components required for a global plastics treaty that safeguards both the environment and the well-being of current and future generations.