Secretary-General Urges Countries to Agree on Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution at Busan Summit

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, held in Busan, Republic of Korea, today:

You are gathering to finalize a landmark treaty to end plastic pollution — a vital step for safeguarding our planet.  Our world is drowning in plastic pollution.

Every year, we produce 460 million tons of plastic, much of which is quickly thrown away.  Plastic waste is dumped into our waters, killing marine life — and by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean.

Microplastics in our bloodstreams are creating health problems we’re only just beginning to understand.  We must transform our consumption and production patterns.

Through the recently adopted Pact for the Future, countries highlighted the need to accelerate efforts to achieve — by the end of the year — an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.

This is why, in Busan, you must deliver a treaty that is ambitious, credible and just.  An agreement that addresses the life cycle of plastics — tackling single-use and short-lived plastics, waste management and measures to phase out plastic and promote alternative materials; that provides concrete solutions for all countries to access technologies and improve land and marine environments; and that leaves no one behind — including some of the most vulnerable people, such as waste pickers.

For too long, we have kicked the plastic bottle down the road. Today, we have a historic opportunity to start building a world free of plastic pollution and waste.  I urge countries to seize it and agree to a treaty for a healthier and more prosperous future, for people and planet.