By Lenah Bosibori
As the world prepares for the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) on the Global Plastics Treaty in Busan, South Korea, Kenyan Civil Society Organizations have urged African leaders to unite in advocating for a significant reduction in primary plastics production and the elimination of hazardous chemicals in plastics
Speaking during a media breakfast meeting in Nairobi, Griffins Ochieng, Executive Director Centre for Environment Justice and Development (CEJAD), emphasized the importance of solidarity among African nations. “African Countries as net importers bear the brunt of plastic pollution,” said Ochieng. “Previous negotiations have seen petrochemical companies dominate the discussions, sidelining the voices of High Ambition Countries.”
Ochieng further noted that it is time for African leaders to stand united and demand a treaty that prioritizes eliminating hazardous chemicals, ensures transparency, and includes mechanisms for labeling, tracking, monitoring, and data-sharing.
In March 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) passed a resolution to establish the INC to negotiate a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, including marine pollution. The upcoming meeting in Busan, Korea, of the INC-5 is the fifth and final meeting and is pivotal as it aims to finalize the treaty by the end of 2024.
“We are facing a global plastics crisis with global production significantly outpacing our ability and capacity to soundly and sustainably manage our waste,” added Ochieng. “An approach based on national rules would make the Treaty largely ineffective. Global legally binding measures would instead create a level playing field for all countries and economic actors and ensure that meaningful global mechanisms exist to reduce plastic production.”
Led by CEJAD and Heinrich Böll Foundation Nairobi, the CSOs emphasized the need for a global solution for plastic pollution and a legally binding instrument that addresses the full cycle of plastics with direct, definitive and obligatory language to ensure that provisions set by the treaty create mandatory binding obligations on its Parties.
Globally, plastic production has more than doubled in the last 15 years, with global output reaching 400 million tonnes annually. Less than 10% of this plastic is recycled, leaving waste to accumulate in ecosystems, harming biodiversity, and burdening marine and terrestrial environments. Plastic pollution is not just an environmental issue but also a climate, health, and social justice crisis.
Waste pickers are disproportionately affected, despite their significant contribution to plastic collection, sorting and recycling of plastics in many countries, especially those in the informal sector. Women waste pickers in particular are especially vulnerable.
In Kenya alone, women represent a substantial number of between 40% – 50% of waste pickers in urban areas like Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa. Laws and policies that safeguard their well-being and economic status are most often ignored.
Joyce Wangari, a waste picker from the Nairobi Recyclable Waste Association, urged leaders to champion policies that protect informal workers: “African leaders must ensure that a just transition for waste pickers is captured in the treaty. This includes access to safe, dignified, and regulated employment, skill development, fair wages, and social protections.”
The availability and adequacy of the existing funding mechanisms of the implementation of the Plastic treaty were also discussed. A robust international treaty will require a predictable, and sustainable financing mechanism that includes a dedicated multilateral fund. The funding model should also ensure that financing of the implementation of the treaty is shouldered by the polluting countries.
“Currently the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) are not an adequate pool of financing for the implementation of the Plastic Treaty”, stressed Dorothy Otieno, Programme Officer at CEJAD.
The future Treaty must be able to mobilize sufficient and appropriate funding to support a just transition and enable developing countries to comply with the treaty provisions. The negotiations on financing should also consider methods based on the polluter pays principle and ensure that the costs of the impacts of plastics are absorbed by the producers.
Kenya has been a vocal supporter of a high-ambition treaty addressing the entire lifecycle of plastics, from production to disposal. As the final INC meeting takes place from November 25 to December 1, 2024, African leaders have the opportunity to strengthen their collective position and demand decisive action.
Faiba Kombo, Communication Programme Coordinator, Heinrich Böll Foundation, noted, “This is a critical moment for Kenya and Africa to listen to their civil societies and jointly champion a treaty that addresses the global plastics crisis and ensures the protection of our people’s health and environment.”