No common ground as clock ticks on global plastic pollution treaty

On the last day of negotiations in Geneva, talks on a legally binding global plastics treaty have ground to a halt, with no headway in sight.

- TNIE in Switzerland S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA @ GENEVA

N the last day of negotiations in Geneva, talks on a legally binding global plastics treaty have ground to a halt, with no headway in sight. Sources say the high-ambition countries remain firm that the treaty must include a provision for voting at the future Conference of the Parties (COP) and carry legally binding obligations. But the Like-Minded Group of countries, led by Saudi Arabia, have flatly rejected both demands.

One bloc argues that without a clear voting mechanism, future COPs will be hostage to the lowest-common-denominator deal struck now, with one country able to block progress indefinitely. Almost 120 countries had earlier expressed support for allowing COP decisions by majority vote, but the provision was left out of the Chair's draft text.