Q and A with H.E Ambassador Ilana Seid, Permanent Representative of Palau to the UN and Chair of Pacific Small Island Developing States and Ms. Gwendalyn Kingtaro Sisior, of Palau:
25 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya – Pacific negotiators joined more than 1,900 delegates at the third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-3), in Nairobi, Kenya which concluded with an agreement on a starting point for negotiations at the fourth session (INC-4).
The Pacific Islands were 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.
Palau, as the PSIDS Chair, with support from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), facilitated daily coordination meetings for all Pacific delegates in Nairobi, as well a pre-INC-3 meeting held in Palau prior.
At the conclusion of the Nairobi negotiations, Pacific countries continue to call for a treaty that is ambitious, captures the entire lifecycle of plastics and has mandatory measures to end plastic pollution by 2040.
We spent time with Her Excellency Ambassador Ilana Seid, the Permanent Representative of Palau to the UN and current Chair of Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) as well as Ms Gwendalyn Kingtaro Sisior, EPCU Coordinator Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries and INC-3 Contact Group Co-facilitator, to get their views on the outcome of the meeting:
Question: Thank you for your time. It has been an incredibly challenging week, where they were many long hours and some sleepless nights in Nairobi. Can you tell us why Palau’s role as PSIDS chair in coordinating the One Pacific Voice is crucial?
Answer: Let us first and foremost thank all the Pacific countries for their efforts during INC-3. We also want to acknowledge the Government of Australia for their support as well as the work of SPREP in this process. When it comes coordination, we see this as a critical part of the work being done at INC and the PSIDS Chair works to ensure that. This has been very important in the INC to ensure that the Pacific voice is heard and that its one voice on many of the issues that are important to us.
Question: On the INC negotiations, what are your thoughts on the progress/or lack of after INC-3?
Answer: There has been much progress in INC-3 and more clarity on the work leading to INC-4 compared to the previous INCs. There was a lot of progress made during the contact groups which was great to see although the work on intersessional work prior to INC-4 was disappointing as none was agreed too. However, overall, INC-3 has achieved good progress and it provides us with a basis to build upon as we continue this work.
Question: From INC-3, where do you see this heading? How does Palau as PSIDS chair want the Pacific to proceed from here? What are the challenges/opportunities?
Answer: We have seen that with INC-3 the PSIDS need to develop strategies for negotiations with the upcoming INC-4 where text based negotiations is expected to begin. There is also a need to look at the treaty elements as whole as there are many interlinkages between the contact groups that handle different sections of the treaty to ensure that we are prepared regardless of the varying progress of the contact groups. We need strategies as well as clear understanding of the implications of positions and differences in various positions.
Question: Your personal experience: What have you enjoyed the most? And what you found the most challenging?
Answer: We’ve enjoyed seeing the progress that PSIDS have made from the beginning until now. Seeing the avid participation of PSIDS in the process and their willingness to lead on various elements has been such a pleasure to see and experience most especially at INC-3. The teamwork, the dedication, and most especially the support that we give each other has been the strength that supports the coordination and participation of PSIDS in this process.
Question: The women voices in the INC negotiations is loud and strong. The INC-3 Pacific delegations for instance include many women who have taken the floor and taken the lead on this global stage? How important is that?
Answer: It is wonderful to see that many delegations have women in their group. Several countries, including the PSIDS Chair, are comprised of all women negotiators. It is a wonderful to see their active participation, but also the closeness that we all share with each other providing support and assurances during tough discussions. We believe that Pacific has always had really strong women negotiators and we have shown that in many of the MEAs. We are also very grateful to the men in our delegations to balance out the women giving us their perspectives so that as a group we have a better understanding of various views.
Question: Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Answer: The PSIDS has always worked together in unity and partnerships in many of the MEAs as we understand that our small delegations can make a large impact when we work together. We hope to see that continue this collaboration and coordination in the INC process under the next PSIDS Chair.