In March 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) unanimously endorsed in Nairobi a historic resolution to End Plastic Pollution (resolution 5/14), which gives the mandate to forge an international legally binding instrument by 2024 to prevent and reduce global plastic pollution. The instrument is to follow a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic.
UNEA-5.2 (resolution 5/14) requested the UNEP Executive Director to convene a hybrid multi-stakeholder forum.
This forum took place on November 26, 2022, at Punta del Este Convention and Exhibition Centre, Uruguay, in conjunction with the first session of the intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC-1), set to develop the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. The key outcomes and messages from the Forum were brought into INC-1 during the Stakeholder Dialogue Session on Tuesday 29th of November. See the agenda and the Reports and Recordings section for more information.
An impression of the Multi-stakeholder Forum
Objectives: The Forum aims to facilitate the exchange of information and gather perspectives from different stakeholders across the plastics life cycle. Which challenges and opportunities should be considered in the negotiations? Which actions are already helping to shift the needle on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment? Through the forum, stakeholders could:
- Engage and exchange with different stakeholder groups active along the plastics value chain on key actions needed to end plastic pollution
- Discuss and facilitate key messages to be reported to INC, to inform delegates on how stakeholders are approaching actions on plastic pollution and on key opportunities and challenges that the global agreement could address.
- Acknowledge and share progress and impact from ongoing actions by different stakeholders across the full life cycle of plastics to inspire further collective action and impact through a multi-stakeholder action agenda.
Target audience:
The Forum was open to all stakeholders, including governments, the private sector working on different stages of the plastics life cycle, scientists and researchers, the finance sector, civil society groups, including the informal sector, indigenous people, and youth.
Structure of this hybrid Forum:
The Multi-stakeholder Forum was held in conjunction with the first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The Forum is held in a hybrid setting to facilitate the broadest multi-stakeholder participation. The in-person plenary sessions in Uruguay were broadcasted to facilitate the broadest multi-stakeholder participation. Curated roundtable discussions among stakeholders on targeted topics were organized in-person (in Uruguay) and online (via Zoom).
Watch our Questions & Answers Session about the Forum
This recording of a Questions & Answers Session about the Forum with NGOs might also answer your questions about the objectives and the structure of the Forum, how this relates to INC1, and how to share your opinion. (The registration is currently closed, only member states can register until the 7th of November.)
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Reports and recordings
Programme Multi-stakeholder Forum:
The Multi-stakeholder Forum took place on November 26, 2022, in Uruguay. View and download the complete agenda. The plenaries in Uruguay with nearly 500 in-person participants were broadcasted, and in-person roundtables were held. The online Forum included roundtables as well and had close to 400 participants.
Written reports of the Multi-stakeholder Forum:- View the overall page of IISD concerning the Multi-stakeholder Forum
- Read IISDs Daily report for 26 November 2022
Plenary sessions (morning and afternoon) of the Multi-stakeholder Forum in Uruguay:- View the PowerPoint slides
Virtual Roundtable Main Room Session of the Multi-stakeholder Forum:
Attendees (virtual and in-person) of the Multi-stakeholder Forum:
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Roundtable discussions
Photos by IISD/ENB Mural Boards Roundtable Discussions
During both the virtual and in-person Multi-stakeholder Forum, participants shared their ideas on actions to combat plastic pollution along the life cycle of plastics (1st set) and on how to initiate a multi-stakeholder action agenda (2nd set). All ideas are captured in Mural Boards, for which you'll find the links below:1st Set of Roundtable Discussions
In-person:
- Eliminating and designing for circularity (SG1 and SG2)
- Circularity in practice (SG3)
- Waste minimization and remediation (SG4)
Virtual:
- Eliminating and designing for circularity (SG1 and SG2)
- Circularity in practice (SG3)
- Waste minimization and remediation (SG4)
2nd Set of Roundtable Discussions
- In-person: How to initiate a multi-stakeholder agenda?
- Virtual: How to initiate a multi-stakeholder agenda?
Background documents Roundtable Discussions
- Background Document Roundtable A. 'Eliminating and designing for circularity'
- Background Document Roundtable B. 'Circularity in Practice'
- Background Document Roundtable C. 'Waste minimization and remediation'
- Background Document Afternoon Roundtable: 'Considerations to initiate a multi-stakeholder action agenda within the intergovernmental negotiating committee on plastic pollution'
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Registration
Registration is closed
The Multi-stakeholder Forum had a hybrid format to facilitate the broadest multi-stakeholder participation. The programme consisted in two plenary segments (which were broadcasted for online attendance) and a series of multi-stakeholder roundtable discussions (in person and online). As part of the registration process, participants were asked to indicate their preference for the roundtable discussion they or their organization would like to join.
Below you will read how the registration process was organized:
In-person attendance
- If you (or your organization) participate(s) in the INC-1 in Uruguay in person, you can directly sign-up for the Forum when registering to the INC-1, following the guidance on the registration tab of the first INC-meeting. (This page also gives information on the eligibility to join the INC-1).
- If you (or your organization) are not eligible to attend the INC-1 and are not able to join as part of the delegation of an entity already accredited to UNEP, you can register to the multi-stakeholder forum here.
- NOTE: In-person participation to the forum is limited and the aim is to have a balanced geographical and stakeholders’ mix.
Online attendance
- If you (or your organization) participate(s) in the INC-1 online, you can directly sign-up for the Forum when registering to the INC-1, following the guidance on the registration tab of the first INC-meeting. (This page also gives information on the eligibility to join INC-1).
- Registration via Zoom is closed.
- Online participation is open to all stakeholders. After registration you will receive two links:
- A link to join the two plenary segments of the of the Forum taking place at 09:30-11:00 and 16:00-18:30 GMT-3.
- A Zoom link to join the online roundtable discussions.
DEADLINES FOR REGISTRATION were:
- Deadline for UNEP-accreditation: 3 October 2022
- Deadline for registration to the Multi-stakeholder Forum in person and online: 31 October 2022, and member states can register until 7 November 2022.
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Stakeholder Dialogue Session
Stakeholder Dialogue Session INC-1 on 29 November 2022
The key conclusions of the Multi-stakeholder Forum were brought into the Stakeholder Dialogue Session of INC-1 on Tuesday, 29 November 2022. See the recordings and links below.
- Report of the Stakeholder Dialogue Session (starting with the report back from the Forum to INC-1)
