UN talks on reducing plastic pollution result in little progress

The third round of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) talks aimed at developing a global plan to tackle plastic pollution failed to make much progress, participants said on Monday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Representatives of the 170 participating countries were "playing for time", the German branch of conservation group WWF said. "Delaying manoeuvres and resistance from oil-producing countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran have taken up a lot of time and almost brought the negotiations to a standstill," said Florian Titze, policy advisor at WWF.

In March 2022, UN members agreed on the need for a global agreement to regulate global plastic production and tackle plastic pollution. According to Peruvian diplomat Gustavo Meza-Cuadra Velásquez, who led the negotiations, "much remains to be done, both to narrow our differences and to develop technical work as a basis for our negotiations".

The fourth round of talks will take place in Ottawa, Canada, in April 2024. The fifth and final round will be held in South Korea at the end of next year. The aim is to reach a final agreement by mid-2025.

^{© PHOTO TONY KARUMBA / AFP}