At its fourth session (INC-4), the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) decided to establish two ad hoc intersessional open-ended expert groups, with both groups open to the participation of all Members of the Committee. In addition, the decision requested the INC Secretariat, in consultation with the INC Chair, to invite selected technical resource persons to help inform the work of the expert groups.
The two expert groups are established to inform and help advance the work of the Committee and their meetings are only of a technical and expert nature. These are not negotiating nor decision-making meetings and are not part of an INC session.
Members of the Committee have been invited to nominate their national experts to participate in the work of the groups which will commence with three virtual meetings ahead of the in-person meeting in Bangkok, Thailand from 24 – 28 August 2024.
More information on this decision of the Committee including instructions to the INC Secretariat and the mandated participation, operational modalities and expected outcomes can be found in this Concept Note (Version 23 July 2024), and further updates will be made available below.
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Concept Note - Annex: Decision on Intersessional work at INC-4
Extracted from the Concept Note (Version 23 July 2024)
(advance unedited / as amended in plenary)
1. The Committee decides to establish an ad hoc intersessional open-ended expert group to develop an analysis of potential sources, and means that could be mobilized, for implementation of the objectives of the instrument, including options for the establishment of a financial mechanism, alignment of financial flows, and catalyzing finance, for the consideration by the Committee at its fifth session.
2. The expert group will take as a starting point the reports of the Co-chairs of the contact group two established at INC-4 and the draft text on means of implementation (Part III Section 1) contained in the compilation document of the draft text. The expert group will be open to participation of all Members.
3. The Committee agrees that the work of the expert group will be co-chaired by Ms. Kate Lynch of Australia and Mr. Oliver Boachie of Ghana.
4. The Committee also decides to establish an ad hoc intersessional open-ended expert group to identify and analyze criteria and non criteria based approaches with regard to plastic products and chemicals of concern in plastic products, and product design focusing on recyclability and reusability of plastic products, considering their uses and applications, for the consideration by the Committee at its fifth session.
5. The expert group will be informed by the reports of the Co-chairs of the contact group one established at INC-4 and the compilation document of the draft text. The expert group will be open to participation of all Members.
6. The Committee agrees that the work of the expert group will be co-chaired by Mr. Axel Borchmann of Germany, Ms. Gwen Sisior of Palau, and Mr. Luay Almukhtar of Iraq. 7. The Committee requests the two expert groups to commence their work using electronic means, following conclusion of INC-4 and requests the secretariat to support the organization of their work.
8. The Committee also requests the secretariat to organize, subject to availability of financial resources, an in-person meeting for the expert groups in the intersessional period before INC-5.
9. The Committee further requests the secretariat, in consultation with the Chair, to invite selected technical resource persons to help inform the work of the expert groups.
10. The outcomes from the groups shall be without prejudice to the Parties’ national positions and the outcome of negotiations conducted by the Committee.
The below work programmes developed by the Co-chairs of the two expert groups outline the modalities, methodology and proposed outputs of the intersessional work of the groups:
Expert Group 1 An ad hoc intersessional open-ended expert group to develop an analysis of potential sources, and means that could be mobilized, for implementation of the objectives of the instrument, including options for the establishment of a financial mechanism, alignment of financial flows, and catalysing finance, for the consideration by the Committee at INC-5. The expert group will be co-chaired by Ms. Kate Lynch of Australia and Mr. Oliver Boachie of Ghana. Work programme (revised 9 August 2024) > Provisional list of nominated National Experts (as of 12 August 2024) > |
Expert Group 2 An ad hoc intersessional open-ended expert group to identify and analyse criteria and non criteria based approaches regarding plastic products and chemicals of concern in plastic products, and product design focusing on recyclability and reusability of plastic products, considering their uses and applications, for the consideration by the Committee at INC-5. The expert group will be co-chaired by Mr. Axel Borchmann of Germany, Ms. Gwen Sisior of Palau, and Mr. Luay Almukhtar of Iraq. Work programme (as of 10 July 2024) > Compilation of questionnaire responses for Expert Group 2 (as of 13 August 2024) > Provisional list of nominated National Experts (as of 12 August 2024) > Agenda with annotations (9 August 2024) > Co-chairs' synthesis document (9 August 2024) > Detailed summary of questionnaire responses - Appendix C (9 August 2024)> |
Technical Resource Persons List of persons for Expert Group 1 and Expert Group 2 (as of 8 August 2024) > |
Virtual meetings
Each expert group will meet virtually three times ahead of the in-person meeting. The virtual meetings will take place on the Interactio platform, and further instructions including invitations to platform training sessions and the meetings were circulated to all nominated experts in a notification email from the INC Secretariat, dated 10 July 2024.
Expert Group 1:
- Virtual meeting 1: 16 July 2024, 14.00 - 17.00 EAT
- Virtual meeting 2: 1 August 2024, 14.00 - 17.00 EAT
- Virtual meeting 3: 15 August 2024, 14.00 - 18.00 EAT
Expert Group 2:
- Virtual meeting 1: 18 July 2024, 14.00 - 18.00 EAT
- Virtual meeting 2: 30 July 2024, 14.00 - 18.00 EAT
- Virtual meeting 3: 13 August 2024, 14.00 - 17.00 EAT
In-person meetings
The in-person expert groups meetings are scheduled to take place at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC), Bangkok, Thailand from 24 to 28 August 2024. The expert groups meetings will be conducted in English only.
More information for participants is available in this Information Note >.
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Registration
Registration for States Members of the United Nations, members of United Nations specialized agencies and regional economic integration organizations for the ad hoc intersessional open-ended expert groups meetings is now closed.
Registration closed: the deadline for registrations was 4 July 2024, 23:59 EAT.
Registration is not available on-site for the in-person meetings therefore no registration facilities will be available at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) venue.
Feedback
Letter from the Latin American and Caribbean Network for the reduction of plastic production with binding global targets English | Spanish
Letter from representatives of civil society and rights holders
Letter from International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN, 12 June 2024)
Letter from International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN, 18 July 2024)
Letter from 143 civil society organizations (02 August 2024)
Response from the INC Executive Secretary to Observer organizations
Letter from the Scientists’ Coalition for an effective plastic treaty
Contacts
INC Secretariat: unep-incplastic.secretariat@un.org
Registration enquiries: unep-incplastic.registration@un.org
Code of conduct to prevent harassment, including sexual harassment, at UN System events.