The meeting was convened after discussions at the intergovernmental level for the past two years for legally binding measures on plastic pollution, which also took into account land and marine environments.
Top UN official Antonio Guterres urged delegates in a video message to shape the deal.
“Our world is drowning in plastic pollution. “Every year, we produce 460 million tons of plastic, most of which is quickly thrown away.”
He warned that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Microscopic plastic particles in our bloodstreams are causing health problems we’re only just beginning to understand.
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Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, expressed hope for a historic agreement and said the time for action had come.
“Nobody on Earth wants to see plastic washing up on their shores, plastic particles drifting into their bodies or into their unborn children.”
The UNEP chief said the same sentiment was expressed in the G-20 group of industrialized countries.
Representatives from more than 170 countries and 600 observer organizations are gathering for a week in the South Korean port city of Busan, where President Eun Suk Yeol called for consensus on steps to move toward zero plastic pollution.
He said that next week member countries should show solidarity and start a new historical chapter for the sake of future generations by finalizing the agreement on plastic pollution.
‘Aspirational, equitable’ contracts are essential
The Fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is formally called upon to establish legally binding measures to combat plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
Talks on the matter began 1,000 days ago in Uruguay and the meeting has now been called after four sessions of talks, with an agreement expected.
The UN chief stressed that the deal on plastic pollution needs to be ambitious, credible and fair.
Any agreement must take into account the life cycle of plastics, addressing issues of single-use and short-lived plastics. In addition to strengthening waste management, alternative materials should be promoted.
It will ensure access to the technology for all countries, improve the land and marine environment, and ensure that plastic-dependent communities are taken along.