4th Session Of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee:
The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) of the United Nations Environment Agency (UNEA) was held in Ottawa, Canada attracting participation from over 170 member states.
- This session is part of the ongoing negotiations to build a legally binding treaty on plastics pollution by the end of 2024 under UNEA.
- The INC-4 for a global plastics treaty failed to reach an agreement. Negotiators aim to reach a consensus by the end of 2024 at INC-5 which is scheduled for November 2024 in South Korea.
- The INC is a committee established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in March 2022 to develop an international legally binding agreement on plastic pollution.
- The INC’s mandate is to develop an instrument that addresses the entire life cycle of plastic, including in the marine environment, and could include both voluntary and binding approaches.
- The INC-1 started in November 2022 in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
- The INC-2 occurred in May-June 2023 in Paris, France.
- The INC-3 convened in Nairobi in December 2023.
