UN plastics treaty chair to step down with process in turmoil | Plastics

The chairman of the stalled UN plastics treaty negotiations, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, is preparing to resign, after reports of behind-the-scenes pressure from the UN Environment Program (UNEP).

The decision will be announced at a UN meeting on Tuesday, with a formal announcement expected on Thursday. Vayas Valdivieso confirmed in an interview with the Guardian that he was resigning and said: “There have been some challenges in the process. »

In August, global negotiations at UN headquarters in Geneva to reach agreement on a treaty to combat accelerating plastic pollution failed after three years of negotiations. There is currently no agreement and the future of the agreement is uncertain.

The president’s sudden resignation leaves the plastics treaty in an even more uncertain position and raises questions about the governance of the process.

Vayas Valdivieso was criticized by NGOs and member states during the final stage of negotiations for publishing a draft text, which was rejected by the majority of negotiators and described by the head of the British delegation, Minister Emma Hardy, as the “lowest common denominator”. Ghana said the text would “consolidate the status quo for decades to come.”

A section on plastic production limits from a previous draft had been removed, and there was no mention of dangerous chemicals found in plastics. Text on tackling plastic pollution throughout the “full life cycle” from a previous draft was also removed.

A second text, described as slightly better but still criticized for its lack of ambition, arrived too late for an agreement to be reached. It was also rejected as a basis for further negotiations.

Vayas Valdivieso said he resigned for personal and professional reasons. He defended his work, saying the treaty process had so far “achieved very important goals.” He added that the much-criticized first version was never intended, in his mind, to be the final version.

While some have criticized the president’s leadership, concerns have also been raised that his work has been hampered by UNEP, led by executive director Inger Andersen. Sources have told the Guardian and others that UNEP staff, who are supposed to be impartial, held a secret meeting on the final night of negotiations, aiming to coax members of civil society groups into pressuring the president to resign.

“I was at the meeting and found it very problematic,” one of the participants told the Guardian. They added that they only found out the meeting was about the alleged “dissatisfaction with the chair” once they were already in the room and felt uncomfortable being there.

In a letter seen by the Guardian and confirmed by Vayas Valdivieso, he filed a request with Unep for information on the meeting “whose objective was the management of the process by the presidency”.

He asked UNEP to take “steps to avoid similar situations” and also called for more transparency in the negotiations in general, saying: “This is a member country [state]-a managed negotiation, and I defended that, and I will defend it, until the last day of my presidency.

He said that although he was sad, his resignation was also an opportunity to bring “new blood, new initiatives, new ideas to the process.” He added that his decision to withdraw had nothing to do with what happened at the Geneva talks.

The Guardian also reported how petrostates and well-funded plastics industry lobbyists worked to derail a deal to reduce plastic production.

Christina Dixon, ocean campaign manager at the Environmental Investigation Agency, described Vayas Valdivieso’s resignation as “a stark reminder of the dysfunction that has plagued the plastics treaty negotiations from the start.” She said trust in the process must be urgently restored if there is any hope of achieving a meaningful outcome.

A UNEP spokesperson said: “Although UNEP has not been officially informed by the President of his intention to resign, the Executive Director wishes to thank Luis Vayas Valdivieso for his tireless service as Chair of the INC process. » Commenting on the informal meeting, UNEP said the executive director “was not aware of any meeting until it was brought to our attention. This matter is now being dealt with in accordance with UN rules and regulations.”