Pacific voices have led from the head table in the global plastic negotiations as the world works together to develop a legally binding instrument to address plastic pollution including in the marine environment.
Fiji served as Co-Facilitator for Cluster C – Means of Implementation, together with Austria during the Informal In-Person Meeting of Heads of Delegation that took place in Nairobi, Kenya from 30 June to 03 July 2026.
Cluster C- outlines the key points as to how the instrument will happen, the guidance for Parties that are related to Finance, Capacity Building, Technical Assistance and Technology Transfer, including International Cooperation.
Discussions within this cluster are expected to play a critical role in ensuring that countries have the support needed to deliver on treaty commitments once adopted.
Dr Sivendra Michael the Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change served as co-Facilitator with Elfriede More of Austria. The role will also continue during a second informal meeting scheduled from 27 to 30 September 2026.
“As co-facilitator, my role has been to help guide a constructive discussion on how the future plastics treaty can be supported by a financial mechanism that is predictable, adequate, accessible and responsive to country needs. The discussions have shown that ambition must be matched by implementation support, particularly for developing countries and Small Island Developing States,” said Dr Michael.
“Together with my co-facilitator, Elfriede More of Austria, our focus is to help delegations identify areas of convergence, clarify differences, and move toward a credible finance outcome that can turn treaty commitments into real action.”
The Informal Heads of Delegation meeting united over 190 governments to advance discussions ahead of the resumed fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) tasked with developing an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.
Every year over 19 million tonnes of plastic waste leaks into aquatic ecosystems, polluting lakes, rivers and seas with over 75 million tonnes of plastic now estimated to be in the ocean.
In March 2022 a historic resolution was adopted to develop an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution including in the marine environment. This work has been conducted through an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) consisting of representatives from over 190 countries to develop text for this instrument.
Across the period of four years from 2022 to 2026, seven sessions have led to the Heads of Delegation meeting that was held in Nairobi. These are known as INC’s with INC 1 to 4 having taken place as well as three sessions of INC 5, those being INC 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3.
Gwen Sisior of Palau is also a Co-Facilitator in these global negotiations for a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, having undertaken this role throughout the INC process. During the INC 5 in Korea, she was the Co-Chair of the Finance and Means of Implementation Contact Group. s
The Informal in-person meeting of Heads of Delegation to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution took place from 30 June to 3 July 2026 in Nairobi.
The Pacific was represented by the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu and supported by SPREP.
