India Proposes Fund to Help Developing Nations Fight Plastic Pollution

General Studies Paper-3

Context: India has proposed setting up a dedicated multilateral fund to support developing countries in tackling plastic pollution at 5th Intergovernmental Negotiations Committee (INC).

About

• INC is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the talks are scheduled to conclude on December 1.
• More than 170 countries in the Republic of Korea are negotiating the global treaty to end plastic pollution, including marine pollution.
• Aim: The treaty aims to have countries cut the production of plastic and plastic polymers.
• The negotiations are whether to agree to binding limits on certain classes of chemicals and on plastic production, or to settle on a package of funding aimed at improving trash collection and recycling.

Background

• In 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) adopted a resolution to tackle plastic pollution on a global scale.
• 175 nations voted to adopt a global treaty for plastic pollution—agreeing on an accelerated timeline so that the treaty could be implemented as soon as 2025.
• This led to the creation of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) tasked with developing a legally binding international agreement on plastic pollution by 2024.
• Since 2022, the INC has held four sessions in Uruguay, France, Canada, and Kenya.

New Multilateral Fund

• Objective: The fund would provide grants (not loans) to developing countries to make it easier for them to transition to eco-friendly technologies and practices.
• Governance: It would be governed by a duly constituted subsidiary body.
• It will have equal representation from developed and developing countries.
• It will oversee the fund’s operations, including creating policies, managing resources, and ensuring fair distribution of funds.
• The subsidiary body would also handle technology transfers.
• Grant Based: The fund will provide grant-based finance to developing countries, and the developed countries will be mandated to replenish the fund on a periodic basis.
• Private Funding: It should also provide flexibility of accepting private funds based upon agreed modalities.

Conclusion

• The Global Plastics Treaty is a step in the right direction, but it needs to go beyond just addressing the issue of plastic pollution.
• It is time to eliminate unnecessary plastic, redesign products so they can be reused, repurposed, repaired and recycled, switch to non-plastic substitutes and strengthen systems for sound waste management.