❌ As if in an endless loop, a few low-ambition countries continue to argue that the regulation of toxic chemicals is outside of the treaty scope.
❌ Saudi Arabia (on behalf of the Arab Group) submitted a proposal outlining their position on the Conference of the Parties (COPs) that will follow the agreement on a Global Plastics Treaty. In this submission, it is proposed that all decisions at COPs are made by consensus, which could significantly slow processes, protect the interests of obstructionists, and lead to weakened outcomes.
❌ Later in the evening, during the contact group negotiations, one delegation went as far as to suggest that participation of observers in the implementation process should also be decided by consensus, which would allow any country to exclude observers from the process.
❌ Malaysia, Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia, on behalf of the Arab Group, reaffirmed their low-ambition position on Article 6, which aims to regulate plastic production, by submitting formal proposals for the article to be struck in its entirety.
❌ Regarding financial mechanisms for treaty implementation, countries still cannot agree on the best way to ensure that the polluters are also paying for the impacts of plastic pollution.
❌ Also, in financial mechanisms, there is a lack of attention on the issue of large subsidies given to the fossil fuels, petrochemical, and plastic industries, which are fueling the plastic crisis.
❌ One of the contact groups was delayed by an extended conversation about how to proceed, with one delegation calling it procedural purgatory.
