19 April 2024, Ottawa Canada - Of the 66 countries that are members of the High Ambition Coalition to end Plastic Pollution, four are from the Pacific Islands. A commitment was made in November last year by our Pacific Islands Forum Leaders to join as the world embarks on developing a global plastics instrument to address plastic pollution including in the marine environment.
acific Islands are on the forefront of impacts caused by the triple planetary crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. One linkage across all three of these is plastic pollution and for the Pacific with relatively low land mass, while living in the world’s largest oceans this is a real threat. Statistics show that business as usual will see more plastic than fish in our ocean by 2050.
To date, the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and Solomon Islands are members of the HAC which launched a joint Ministerial statement as the world enters its fourth round of negotiations to develop the global plastics treaty.
Within this, the HAC joint Ministerial Statement reiterates that:
“global plastic consumption and production have reached unsustainable levels and continue to grow while plastic pollution keeps increasing, which underscores the need to significantly enhance our collective and combined efforts, and recognise that there is an ongoing need to identify, prioritize and effectively address the key sources and drivers of plastic pollution.”
With members of the HAC also being members now negotiating the legally binding instrument to address plastic pollution including in the marine environment – there is also the expectation that this results in something which is just that – “highly ambitious.”
“We support the call made from the Cook Islands through the Pacific Partnerships for Prosperity that was endorsed by the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in 2023 and offer our support to our Pacific Islands Members to join the HAC,” said Mr Anthony Talouli, the Director of Waste Management and Pollution Control of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
The Cook Islands is Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders and hosted the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in November last year.
“There is potential within the HAC to work with members to bring about a robust and ambitious legally binding agreement that will help protect our Pacific Islands people and ocean. History has shown us what High Ambition Coalitions in other multilateral environment agreements can accomplish, and the pivotal role that our Pacific Small Islands Developing States have played in helping to achieve historic milestones.”
The HAC is committed to develop an ambitious international legally binding instrument based on a comprehensive and circular approach that ensures urgent action and effective interventions along the full lifecycle of plastics.
“Groups like the HAC allow the most ambitious countries to share ideas and develop proposals together. Doing so across regions and across negotiating blocs is critical for achieving a global agreement,” said Mr Dennis Clare of the Federated States of Micronesia delegation, now in Ottawa for the INC4.
To read the full High Ambition Coalition Member States Ministerial Joint Statement for INC4 please visit: https://hactoendplasticpollution.org/hac-member-states-ministerial-joint-statement-for-inc-4/
The fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment is taking place in Ottawa, Canada, from 23-29 April 2024.
The Pacific Islands are represented by the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu through the support of the Government of Australia and the United Nations.
They are supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), working with partners the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner (OPOC), The Pacific Community (SPC), Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL), University of Wollongong, WWF and Massey University.
For more information visit: https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution/session-4