With just one day remaining in the ongoing global plastics treaty negotiations, a coalition of ambitious countries and civil society groups have overwhelmingly rejected the Chair’s latest proposed text, condemning it as weak, unambitious, and unfit for purpose.
The draft, which critics say caters to petro-states and fossil fuel industry interests, omits a crucial article on reducing plastic production—directly undermining the treaty’s mandate to address the full life cycle of plastics.
“This new text sends a clear message to the world: we do not care about your health. We do not care about the science.
” We do not care about human rights. We do not care about your future. We only care about consensus,” said Ana Rocha, GAIA Global Plastics Policy Lead.
From the floor of the negotiations, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, Head of the Panama delegation, delivered a scathing response:
“Our redlines and redlines of the majority of countries represented in this room were not only stomped, they were spat on and they were burned… This is not about closing a treaty at any cost.
“It is about closing a wound we’re leaving open in people’s lungs, rivers, and oceans. But the text presented here makes that wound fatal… We will not sell out future generations for a text as weak as this.”
Civil society representatives also expressed outrage at the lack of transparency in the Chair’s drafting process.
Many Member States were engaged in official contact groups and informal sessions while the new text was quietly prepared, drastically lowering ambition without broad consultation.
“These back-handed maneuvers are undemocratic, and leave civil society and ambitious Member States in the dark,” said SiPeng of C4 Center, Malaysia.
The plenary session saw over three hours of sharp criticism from Member States, followed by regional consultations and a Heads of Delegation meeting.
Civil society groups insist that rejecting the flawed text is a necessary show of resolve.
“No treaty is better than a bad treaty,” said Thais Carvajal of Alianza Basura Cero Ecuador.
“If INC-5.2 ends without an agreed text, it means ambitious nations refused to compromise with fossil fuel interests—and we will have their backs.”
About GAIA
The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) is a worldwide alliance of grassroots groups, non-governmental organizations, and individuals working toward a just, zero-waste world without incineration. GAIA envisions a future free from plastic pollution, where environmental health and human rights are protected.
