Last day of negotiations in Geneva exposes impasse in global treaty against plastic pollution

Delegates from nearly 180 countries are racing against time to reach an agreement, but deep disagreements threaten to end the round without consensus . The meeting is part of a series of meetings launched in 2022 by the UN to try to establish a global pact by the end of 2025.

On Wednesday (13), diplomats rejected the latest version of the working text . Countries such as Panama, Kenya, and the United Kingdom criticized the removal of articles that addressed the full cycle of plastic pollution — from polymer production to risks to human health. Panama even called the proposal "repulsive" and advocated a complete reformulation.

The main impasse involves the production of virgin plastic . Oil, gas, and coal producers are resisting the imposition of restrictions, while the European Union and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are pushing for production limits and greater control over hazardous chemicals. Iraq has signaled a willingness to relax its position, but Saudi Arabia has stated that nothing can be agreed upon without clarity on the scope of the treaty.

Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, who co-chairs the High Ambition Countries group, stated his willingness to negotiate all articles to seek a "balanced package." Meanwhile, French Minister of Ecological Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher admitted the possibility of concessions on how to update the list of harmful chemicals.

In the opposite direction, Colombian parliamentarian Juan Carlos Loazada stated that “no agreement would be better than a watered-down agreement.”

While ministers negotiated, environmental organizations protested outside the building, demanding a strong treaty . The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) warns that without intervention, global plastic production could triple by 2060, worsening environmental and health crises .

Industry sectors have also come out in favor of a global pact, although without accepting production limits. "We're really optimistic. We think this could be very good for our industry, for society, and for the environment," said Ross Eisenberg, president of America's Plastic Makers. The group, however, warns that the United States would be unlikely to ratify a treaty that includes a chemical ban or production restrictions .

Since August 5, 2025, representatives from up to 184 countries—plus hundreds of non-governmental organizations—have been meeting in Geneva for the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2).

The meeting's goal is to draft the first legally binding international treaty to combat plastic pollution , which threatens ecosystems, oceans, and human health. The meeting aims to finalize the agreement in just 10 days, a timeframe considered tight given the complexity of the issue and the diplomatic tensions at play.

The meeting was called after the impasse at the previous meeting in Busan, South Korea, in which oil and gas producing countries blocked any progress.

At the opening of the session, the chair of the debates, Ecuadorian diplomat Luis Vayas Valdivieso, warned that plastic pollution constitutes an ongoing "global crisis." He stated that the emergency is real and that the responsibility to act falls on all states.

Throughout the process that began in 2022, the UN mandate called for the treaty to address the entire life cycle of plastics , including design, production, use and disposal, as well as their impacts on health and the environment.

In Geneva, pressure for strict control over virgin plastic production is meeting strong resistance from producing countries — while groups like the High Ambition Coalition, made up of the European Union, Africa, and Latin America, are advocating for 2040 targets and the banning of certain chemicals.

NGOs and civil society movements are also reinforcing the urgency of a robust treaty. Outside UN headquarters, demonstrations and artistic installations—such as the sculpture "The Thinker's Burden" by Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong—are drawing attention to the consequences of the crisis, highlighting that the world is at risk of "drowning in plastic pollution," in the words of Inger Andersen.