From 28 November to 2 December 2022, the first meeting of the intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC1) was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay. The meeting was organized by UNEP in a hybrid format. Over 2300 delegates from more than 160 member states, UN organizations and stakeholder groups participated in the meeting. Prior to the meeting, a multi-stakeholder forum and regional consultations were organized on November 26 and 27 respectively.
INC1 discussed organizational matters including election of officers, rules of procedure, dates and venue for the rest of meeting sessions, work plan for the upcoming intersessional period as well as ways of multi-stakeholder participation. During the meeting, member states and NGOs exchanged their views on substantive issues about the instrument, including its scope, objectives, structure, potential elements and cluster of these issues in future negotiations, core obligations, control measures, national action plan, monitoring, reporting and evaluation, capacity building, technical assistance, financial mechanism, and final provisions. It was agreed by the INC that the next session will be held in Paris, France from 22-26 May 2023.
Mr. Jinhui Li, Executive Director of Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific/ Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for Capacity-building and the Transfer of Technology in Asia and the Pacific (BCRC/SCRC China) and Assistant Director Ms. Nana Zhao participated in the negotiation in person as members of the Chinese delegation. Ms. Yuan Chen, Chief the Regional Chemical Management Branch and Mr. Quanyin Tan, Chief of the General Office of BCRC/SCRC China attended the meeting online also as members of the Chinese delegation. Another five staff members of BCRC/SCRC China participated in INC1 virtually as observers.
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