By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
MANILA – The Philippines has signed an international declaration, joining 94 other countries in calling for an effective treaty to end global plastic pollution.
The joint declaration also known as the “Nice Call for an Ambitious Treaty on Plastic Pollution” was launched on the second day of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France on June 10.
Through this document, the Philippines and the rest of the signatories sought a “global target” to reduce the production and consumption of primary plastic polymers.
It also calls for a legally-binding obligation to phase out the most problematic plastic products and chemicals of concern and the improvement of plastic product designs for minimal environmental impact.
French officials described this declaration as a major diplomatic milestone less than two months before a crucial negotiating session on the plastics treaty commences.
“I am delighted to see so many countries reaffirming the need for an ambitious treaty to put an end to plastic pollution. This is a strong signal that we are collectively sending to the rest of the world, just a few weeks before the negotiations resume in Geneva,” Agnès Pannier-Runacher, French Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forestry, Sea and Fisheries, said.
“Without ambiguity, and as more than a hundred countries had already hammered home in Busan last December, we reiterate the urgent need to act, by acting at the source of the problem, to reduce our production and consumption of plastics, and by proposing concrete solutions to do so.”
In March 2022, the Fifth United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a landmark resolution to negotiate a global treaty to end plastic pollution, based on a comprehensive approach covering the entire life cycle of plastics.
The resumption of negotiations on the treaty will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from Aug. 5 to 14, 2025, after the five initial sessions in Uruguay, France, Kenya, Canada and South Korea.
As of June 10, the Nice Call is supported by the following countries:
Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Barbados, Benin, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eswatini, European Union whose Member States are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden; Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Iceland, Israel, Jamaica, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Moldova, Saint Kitts and Nevis, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Togo, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe. (PNA)
