News story | Date: 26/11/2024 | Ministry of Climate and Environment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

This week, negotiators from around the world are gathering in Busan, South Korea, for the final negotiations on a global plastics agreement. Norway's Minister of International Development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, will participate in the closing of the negotiations.

'Plastic pollution is a growing global problem. We find plastic in nature, in rivers, in the ocean, and microplastics in the human body. Norway will work for a binding global agreement to reverse this trend', said Tvinnereim.

Challenging Negotiations

The negotiations have been challenging so far, especially concerning how countries worldwide can reduce plastic use and avoid harmful substances in plastics. The main divide is between countries advocating for a voluntary agreement, where nations set their own goals to reduce plastic production and usage, and those calling for a stronger approach.

Norway, alongside several other ambitious countries, is pushing for an agreement with legally binding measures to reduce plastic production and consumption, including bans on certain plastic products and hazardous additives.

Active Role

Financial discussions are also expected at this meeting, echoing themes from this autumn's international climate and nature summits. Poorer countries, which often face the most direct impacts of plastic pollution, are demanding financial support from wealthier nations to address the challenges posed by increasing plastic use.

Norway has played an active role in driving the plastic negotiations since the fifth UN Environment Assembly in 2022. Led by former Minister of Climate and Environment Espen Barth Eide, the assembly adopted a resolution to establish an international agreement against plastic pollution. Since then, Norway, together with Rwanda, has led a High Ambition Coalition to push for the strongest possible agreement. With Fiji recently joining, the coalition now has 68 members representing all regions of the world.

Aiming for a Binding Agreement

'The situation is serious and heading in the wrong direction. If countries fail to act, plastic pollution is projected to nearly double by 2040 compared to 2020. Norway will do everything it can to secure a strong and binding agreement', said Tvinnereim.

The plastic negotiations in Busan, South Korea, began this week and are scheduled to conclude on Sunday, December 1.