The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), aimed at developing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, was held from 23rd to 29th April 2024 in Ottawa, Canada. The regional consultations were convened on 21st and 22nd April. Dr. Tan Quanyin, an assistant professor from the School of Environment, Tsinghua University, and Ms. Zhao Nana, the Assistant Director of the 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 (hereinafter referred to as the "BCRC China"), both located at Tsinghua University, participated in the meeting as members of the Chinese delegation.
This meeting was convened in accordance with the requirements of Resolution 5/14 entitled "End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument", which was adopted by the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly. More than 2,500 representatives from 184 countries, Economic Integration Organizations like the European Union, as well as over 966 observer organizations, attended the meeting.
Group photo of Chinese delegation
The meeting mainly focused on detailed discussions and negotiations based on the Revised Zero Draft prepared after the negotiation during INC-3. Two contact groups were established to address various topics. The first contact group addressed issues such as the preamble, principles, scope, objectives, and core obligations of the instrument, with three sub-groups under it. The second contact group discussed topics including financing, capacity building, technical assistance and technology transfer, national plans, compliance, and implementation, with two sub-groups under it. Delegates delivered and submitted views on the topics and engaged in consultations for amendments to the Revised Zero Draft, which will serve as the basis for negotiations during INC-5. Additionally, as an important outcome of this meeting, countries reached a decision to establish two ad hoc intersessional open-ended expert groups, one to "analyze potential sources, and means that could be mobilized, for implementation of the objectives of the instrument, including options for the establishment of a financial mechanism, alignment of financial flows, and catalyzing finance" and the other to "identify and analyze criteria and non criteria based approaches with regard to plastic products and chemicals of concern in plastic products, and product design focusing on recyclability and reusability of plastic products".
Zhao Nana and Tan Quanyin
During the preparation and negotiation during INC-4, delegates from the School of Environment and the BCRC China provided strong technical support to the Chinese delegation on key issues such as problematic and avoidable plastic products, product design, extended producer responsibility, emissions and releases of plastic throughout its life cycle, plastic waste management, scope, and intersessional work. They played a significant role in the negotiations in the plenary meeting and the contact groups.
