In his message for World Environment Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the urgent need to tackle plastic pollution. Plastic pollution is a significant challenge for the world, posing a severe risk to the ecosystems, human health and the climate. Guterres stressed that plastic waste has reached every part of the planet and even the human body. While some steps have been taken to resolve this issue, the UN Chief urged faster progress. He also called on countries to agree on a strong, fair global treaty addressing the full life cycle of plastics.
“In two months, countries will come together to hammer out a new global treaty to end plastic pollution. We need an ambitious, credible and just agreement this year,” he said.
The Republic of Korea hosted the fifth session of the negotiations to develop a plastic pollution treaty in November 2024. The second part of the session will take place from Aug 5-14 in Geneva, Switzerland, as per the UNEP website.