“We’re finally in the home stretch,” proclaimed Intersessional Process (IP) Co-Chair Kay Williams (UK) as she opened the final IP plenary on Sunday evening to go through draft recommendations to be forwarded the Fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5). The text of the draft framework instrument on the management of chemicals and waste takes into account the portions agreed ad referendum during the IP. The Co-Chairs then led the plenary through a paragraph-by-paragraph review of the text, seeking to resolve differences wherever possible to produce a “cleaner” text for ICCM5.
The plenary worked into the night.
Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.
The evening plenary capped their efforts during the day to break logjams in several portions of the consolidated document produced by the previous session of the IP held in Nairobi, Kenya in March 2023. In the morning, the thematic group on institutional arrangements managed to reach consensus on the sections on mechanisms to support implementation and issues of concern by agreeing on text linking the two.
During the morning, the plenary held an initial discussion of the section on capacity building. The Co-Chairs offered alternative text from their non-paper, but when delegates disagreed on whether to use it as the basis for further negotiation, the issue was left for the evening plenary to consider.
Also during the day the plenary, the finance thematic group and an informal group on targets all tried—unsuccessfully—to reach consensus on framework targets on data, information, transparency and finance.
To receive free coverage of global environmental events delivered to your inbox, subscribe to the ENB Update newsletter.
All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For the 5th International Conference on Chemicals Management and Resumed 4th Meeting of the Intersessional Process for Considering SAICM and the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste Beyond 2020, please use: Photo by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis.
Plenary
John Mumbo, Kenya
Servet Gören, International Council of Chemical Associations
Michel Tschirren, Switzerland
Santos Virgilio, Angola
María Vanessa Aliaga Araujo, Peru
Sajad Motaharnia, Iran
Co-Chair Kay Williams, UK
Rachel Irving, UK
Elizabeth Nichols, US
John Mumbo, Kenya
Zaigham Abbas, Pakistan
Thematic Groups
Institutional Arrangements Group Co-Facilitators Karissa Kovner, US, and Noluzuko Zukie Gwayi, South Africa
From L-R: Finance Group Co-Facilitator Přemysl Štěpánek, Czechia; Angela Rivera, Colombia; and Finance Group Co-Facilitator Jonah Ormond, Antigua and Barbuda
Georgii Balianov, Russian Federation
Olubunmi Olusanya, Nigeria
Targets Informal Group Facilitator Mari-Liis Ummik, Estonia
Ved Prakash Mishra, India
Víctor Alfonso Rey Arismendy, Colombia, and Francisco Nelson Linhares, Brazil
Audun Heggelund, Norway
Bob Diderich, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Between Sessions
From L-R: Ved Prakash Mishra, India; Naresh Pal Gangwar, India; and Sverre Thomas Jahre, Norway
Obed Meringo Baloyi, South Africa
Delegates from the US conferring during a break
Moleboheng Juliett Petlane, Lesotho, with Olubunmi Olusanya, Nigeria
Flavia de Lima Ferreira Magrini, Brazil, with Jill Hanna, Global Alliance on Health and Pollution
Around the Venue
