Clear Scope and Principles mandated in the new International Legally-binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution: India at the 5th session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Busan

Clear Scope and Principles mandated in the new International Legally-binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution: India at the 5th session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Busan

The Indian delegation, participating in the 5^th session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5), called upon member States to develop clear scope and principle for the new International legally-binding instrument on plastic pollution. This would allow the new treaty to be effective and workable at the international level. The INC-5 is being held from 25^th November to 1^st December, 2024, at Busan (Republic of Korea).

The Indian delegation highlighted the importance of having clear scope of the new instrument, and stated that the new instrument must draw the mandate on scope from the resolution adopted by 5^th session of United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in 2022, in order to address plastic pollution.

Further, India highlighted that there should not be any overlap with mandates of other multilateral environmental agreements such as Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions and international bodies like World Trade Organization. Such an approach would allow to focus negotiations on the areas, not covered under already existing any international instrument or body, specifically with reference to addressing plastic pollution.

The Indian delegation also emphasized the need for the new international legally-binding instrument to be understood, acted upon, implemented, reported and evaluated, following the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. Special emphasis was laid on the principles common but differentiated responsibilities, national circumstances, priorities and capabilities of developing countries, right to development and in consistency with international agreements or instruments. 

While recognizing the non-paper prepared by the Chair of INC as valuable document to facilitate negotiations at INC, the Indian delegation mentioned during the plenary session that these important articles were missing in the third iteration of the non-paper, while they were present in compilation text adopted by fourth session of INC held in Ottawa. The Indian delegation called upon the INC Chair to include discussions on these important articles during the fifth session of INC in Busan.