Plastics Treaty Negotiations: Who has a seat at the table?
1:00 pm US Eastern Time
Slides & Resources
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Plastic pollution and overproduction of chemicals and plastics is a growing global crisis, with devastating harm to the environment, human health, human rights, biodiversity, and the climate.
At the end of November, delegates from around the world will convene in Busan, South Korea for the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) to draft a global legally binding treaty on plastics. This is the final scheduled negotiating session before the adoption of the treaty's final text, expected in early 2025.
Concerns are rising among Indigenous Peoples, frontline communities, scientists, and other representatives of civil society about the involvement of the fossil fuel and chemical industries, whose interests are in direct conflict with treaty objectives. An analysis of INC-4 participants based on UNEP’s provisional list found a 37% increase in industry lobbyists at INC-4 compared to INC-3, with fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists outnumbering the combined 180 representatives of the European Union delegations.
The tensions between corporate interests and the treaty’s objectives are clear. An open letter from Greenpeace, signed by over 170 civil society organizations and scientists, urges UNEP and the INC to adopt a strong conflict of interest policy to protect the treaty from industry influence. While lobbyists appear on country delegations and gain access to Member State-only sessions, Indigenous Peoples representatives and nongovernmental organizations are not granted access to these sessions and are given limited time to speak.
This webinar will explore who has had a “seat at the table” during the course of plastic treaty negotiations, and highlight the need to prioritize the voices of frontline communities, Indigenous Peoples, and independent scientists.
Frankie Orona, Executive Director of the Society of Native Nations, will discuss representation of Indigenous Peoples throughout the negotiating process. Yuyun Ismawati, co-chair of IPEN and co-founder and Senior Advisor of the Nexus3 Foundation, will focus on representation of impacted communities who live on the frontlines of plastic pollution, especially in the Global South. And Dr. Martin Wagner, Associate Professor for environmental toxicology at the Norwegian University for Science and Technology and member of the Scientists' Coalition, will discuss petrochemical industry influence and challenges faced by independent scientists.
Spanish interpretation will be provided for this webinar.
Featured Speakers
Yuyun Ismawati is a dedicated Indonesian national with over thirty years of work in advocacy for environmental health and for strong policies on chemicals and waste. She is a co-founder and Senior Advisor of the Nexus3 Foundation, the leading Indonesian public interest organization working to protect people, especially vulnerable populations, from the impacts of development on public health and the environment, towards a future of justice and toxics-free, sustainable living. Her career has been characterized by her insightful and passionate drive to address critical environmental challenges through collaborative approaches and innovative solutions that lead to policy changes. In 2009, she received the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her groundbreaking work on reducing pollution and waste, and she is also an Ashoka Fellow and a Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) Fellow.
Frankie Orona (Borrado/Tongva/Chumash) is a Husband of 23 Years, a proud Father, and Executive Director of the Society of Native Nations, an intertribal nonprofit dedicated to preserving Indigenous spirituality, culture, and way of life. As an environmental liaison for his Tribal Chief, Anthony Morales of the Gabrielino Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, he tirelessly advocates for environmental justice and the rights of Indigenous peoples. Frankie serves on numerous environmental coalition steering committees and nonprofit boards. As a member of a U.S. Environmental Justice Delegation and the Indigenous Peoples Major Group with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), he actively works on the Global Plastics Treaty and other U.N. frameworks addressing environmental concerns. His mission is to remind us that we are not separate from the environment but rather an integral part of it and that the health of both are inextricably linked. For over 25 years, he has championed Mother Earth, building relationships and bridges between cultures and helping to advocate for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ancestral wisdom. He firmly believes that education, collaboration, and understanding are the cornerstones of a sustainable future for all. Through global initiatives and unwavering dedication, he strives to empower communities and protect our planet's precious gifts that many call "resources." Together, we can help bring about positive global change for all future generations.
Martin Wagner, PhD, is an Associate Professor for environmental toxicology at the Norwegian University for Science and Technology in Trondheim. His main research interest is in the impacts of plastic pollution and plastic chemicals on nature and human health. To study this, he works at the interface of ecology, toxicology, and chemistry combining in vitro, in vivo, and mass spectrometry approaches. As an expert on the societal and environmental impacts of plastics, he is consulting high-level policymakers (United Nations, European Commission) and is frequently featured by international media. In 2013, Dr. Wagner received his PhD degree from the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main for his research on endocrine disrupting chemicals in plastic food packaging. Then, Dr.Wagner became head of the Bioanalytical Toxicology group at Goethe University which focused on water quality assessment as well as on freshwater microplastics. Since 2017, Dr.Wagner continues his research into endocrine disrupting chemicals and plastic pollution at NTNU Trondheim. More information: www.biotox.de.
This event will be co-hosted by CHE and CHE-Alaska, which is coordinated by Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT). Driven by a core belief in environmental justice, ACAT empowers communities to eliminate exposure to toxics through collaborative research, shared science, education, organizing, and advocacy.
