INC-4 delegates advance revised draft text to combat plastic pollution
(VOVWORLD) - The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, concluded Tuesday in Ottawa with an advanced draft text of the instrument and agreement on intersessional work ahead of the fifth session (INC-5) in November.
 A plastic bottle dumped outside a homeless shelter in Montreal, Canada. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
More than 2,500 delegates, representing 170 members and over 480 observer organizations, decided to create an Open-ended Legal Drafting Group to form at INC-5, serving in an advisory capacity by reviewing elements of the draft revised text to ensure legal soundness.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Program (UNEP), said INC-4 achieved two goals and a clear path to landing an ambitious deal in Busan, South Korea, later this year. Andersen said that important issues that need to be discussed include limiting plastic output and monitoring the entire life cycle of plastic products.