Developing Country Voices Will Be Excluded at UN Plastic Talks, Say NGOs

Scientists and NGOs have accused the UN's environment programme (Unep) of locking out those 'most needing to be heard' from upcoming negotiations in Paris aimed at halting plastic waste. From a report: Last-minute restrictions to the numbers of NGOs attending what the head of Unep described as the 'most important multilateral environmental deal' in a decade will exclude people from communities in developing countries harmed by dumping and burning of plastic waste as well as marginalised waste pickers, who are crucial to recycling, from fully participating, they said. The groups criticised the agency for publishing a report this week, before negotiations between 193 countries over 29 May to 2 June, which they claimed did not fully reflect the health and environmental effects of plastic pollution.

The report said mismanaged plastic waste could be slashed by 80% by 2040. Scientists's Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty (Scept), representing 200 scientists who were invited to comment before the report's publication, said their concerns and criticisms were ignored. Unep said it regretted that 'due to a technical issue' an email containing Scept comments was not received in time for publication. However, it said it received feedback from 75 experts from 39 organisations that were incorporated. It denied claims its report did not sufficiently reflect the health and environmental impacts of plastic.

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