The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) says global efforts to tackle plastic pollution must include binding action to clean up existing waste, not just prevent future pollution.
As negotiations continue toward a global plastics treaty, AOSIS said this week’s meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Nairobi showed “encouraging signs of convergence” — but not enough.
“For Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the plastic pollution crisis is not a future threat – it is a daily, escalating reality,” the statement reads.
“Plastic waste continues to choke coastlines, damage ecosystems, threaten food security, and undermine blue economies across our regions. These impacts are not theoretical. They are measurable, transboundary, and irreversible unless decisive action is taken now.”
AOSIS is pushing for treaty obligations that include the remediation of existing plastic pollution, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). The group has proposed the creation of a remediation mechanism and a dedicated fund to finance clean-up efforts.
“We welcome the growing recognition, including in discussions this week, of the need for remediation of existing plastic pollution under the treaty,” AOSIS said.
It outlined key demands:
*Clear obligations for all parties to address existing plastic pollution;
*A remediation mechanism to guide safe removal;
*A platform to coordinate states, IGOs, and the private sector.
As the Maldives stressed: “We support the AOSIS proposal for a clear and cooperative mechanism to address existing plastic pollution. This must include access to financing and technology for safe removal – and must not place a disproportionate burden on SIDS.”
AOSIS has also called for the creation of a Remediation Fund or Subfund, designed to attract both public and private financing for cleanup.
Antigua & Barbuda added: “The Remediation Fund must be institutionalised within the agreement.”
AOSIS warned that SIDS are working on two fronts – driving forward ratification of the BBNJ Agreement for marine protection, and pushing for treaty language that will force action on plastic pollution across the ocean, including the high seas.
Costa Rica said: “This proposition supports the goals of the BBNJ Agreement and highlights the importance of coordination between processes.”
The message is clear- without removal of the plastic already in the ocean, new marine protected areas will be meaningless.
The group also invoked the original UN mandate.
“The mandate from UNEA Resolution 5/14 was clear: the treaty must address plastic pollution in all environments, including in the marine environment.”
AOSIS warned that failure to address existing pollution would betray the treaty’s mission and disproportionately hurt SIDS — communities that are already paying the price for a crisis they did not cause.
As Jamaica declared: “The AOSIS proposal is a strong basis for negotiation. The special circumstances of SIDS are not up for debate. They are just.”
With the next round of talks set for Geneva in August, AOSIS says it will hold a virtual meeting next week to rally support.
“Unless we remove what is already there, we are not ending plastic pollution. We have to act now.”.
