‘Seize the Moment’: UNEP Chief Inger Andersen calls for binding deal to end Plastic Pollution

As the high stakes negotiations got underway at the UN Geneva on Tuesday  on a “legally binding treaty” to curb plastic pollution, Executive Director Inger Andersen called on member states to seize the moment and finalize a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution.

Speaking to delegates gathered in Geneva, Andersen praised their sustained engagement since the historic adoption of UN Environment Assembly Resolution 5/14 nearly three and a half years ago, but emphasized that “now is high time for Member States to get the deal over the line.”

“You face ten days of intensive negotiations,” she said. “You know that you will have to work hard and with determination… in the spirit of solidarity and compromise. But I believe you can leave Geneva with a treaty.”

Andersen acknowledged the significant progress made since the Busan negotiations, highlighting the growing intensity of diplomacy through bilateral talks, regional consultations, and cross-regional engagements. “This engagement has been the most intense I have seen yet during this process,” she said, stressing that this energy is critical to achieving a treaty.

Using the metaphor of a precarious mountain path in the Alps, Andersen urged nations to walk together to reach their shared goal. “Because the only way to reach the destination is by going together,” she stated.

Referencing Geneva’s legacy as the birthplace of modern multilateralism, Andersen called on countries to take inspiration from history while building a future free from plastic pollution. She also pointed to the recent establishment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution as a sign of environmental multilateralism’s power to deliver.

Plastic pollution, she warned, has reached crisis levels — already contaminating ecosystems and human bodies, with leakage expected to increase by 50% by 2040 if current trends persist.

“The world wants and needs to tackle the plastic pollution crisis,” Andersen said. “People are outraged. They are worried. They are watching. And rightly so.”

In a rallying cry to negotiators, she urged delegates to craft a strong final agreement based on converging positions and flexible frameworks for further development. “It is in your hands to protect us all, the environment and future generations,” she said. “To turn the plastic pollution challenge into an opportunity of solutions and new beginnings.”

Negotiations in Geneva

The negotiations in Geneva mark a critical step in the global process to establish a landmark treaty that aims to curb plastic pollution and protect the planet for generations to come. With 10 days of talks scheduled on the treaty at the UN in Geneva, supporters of an accord hope that the deal will cover the full life cycle of plastics, from design to production and disposal.

The treaty should “promote plastic circularity and prevent leakage of plastics in the environment”, according to the text now guiding negotiations led by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC). At 22 pages, the INC document contains 32 draft articles which will be discussed line by line.

The text is designed to shape the future instrument and serves as a starting point for negotiations by countries meeting in Geneva.
The UNEP-led talks follow a decision in 2022 by Member States to meet and develop an international legally binding instrument to end the plastic pollution crisis, including in the marine environment, within two years.

The scale of the problem is massive, with straws, cups and stirrers, carrier bags and cosmetics containing microbeads just a few of the single-use products ending up in our oceans and landfill sites.