IPEN INC-5 Closing Statement

December 1, 2024

My name is Aileen Lucero and I am representing IPEN, the International Pollutants Elimination Network. We bring voices to these negotiations from our network of more than 600 civil society organizations from over 130 countries, mainly from the global south. We have decades of experience contributing to international chemical and waste agreements and bring experience, knowledge, and scientific expertise from around the world.

We are here to testify about how we are directly harmed throughout the entire life cycle of plastics, from the extraction of fossil fuels to plastics and chemicals manufacturing, use, and disposal.

 Our babies are entering this world with their brains and bodies already contaminated with plastics, exposing them to toxic chemicals that can affect their ability to learn and increase their risk of endocrine disorders, reproductive harm, and cancers. Microplastics are found in women’s placenta, breast milk, and in infant formula, and they affect our health in the long term.

We need a Treaty that truly will protect human health and the environment. We call upon the moral and ethical leadership of all INC delegates. Delegates, our health is in your hands.

In addition, we need a transparent and inclusive process moving forward from Busan.  The decision to exclude observers from the intersessional and the closing “informals” was unjustified and we must not continue to be unjustly excluded. The lack of transparency undermines the process and the Treaty.

We still expect a robust and health-protective treaty that drastically reduces the production of plastics, eliminates harm from toxic plastic chemicals, and is based on a foundation of protecting health and human rights. You must not compromise our lives and health.