The opening ceremony for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee is held on Nov. 25 at the conference room of Exhibition Center 1 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, aka BEXCO, in Busan.
The fifth and final session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5), which seeks an internationally binding agreement to reduce plastic pollution, was opened on Nov. 25 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, aka BEXCO, in Busan.
The Ministry of Environment on Nov. 22 announced that INC-5 will run through Dec. 1.
Some 3,500 people are expected attend including government officials from 170 United Nations (U.N.) member states, 31 international organizations, industry, civic groups and academia.
Korea's chief delegate to the event is Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul and alternate chief delegate Minister of Environment Kim Wansup, plus officials from the ministries of foreign affairs, environment, trade, industry and energy, and oceans and fisheries.
INC-5 aims for a legally binding accord on the full lifecycle of plastic from production to disposal. The event's four previous editions were held in Uruguay, France, Kenya and Canada.
Each country, however, is divided over leading issues such as regulations on output of polymer, the main raw material of plastic.
Seoul is aware of the severity of plastic pollution and urges the swift conclusion of an effective and enforceable global accord covering the full lifecycle of plastic from production and consumption to disposal and recycling. As the host country of INC-5, Korea will conduct diplomacy to get an agreement concluded.
The proposed pact is expected to be the world's most influential of its kind since the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
