Chair Summary – August 9, 2024, meeting of the Host Country Alliance

Minister Steven Guilbeault, as Chair of the Host Country Alliance, convened a meeting on August 9, 2024, with the host countries of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC). High-level representatives from Uruguay, France, Kenya, Canada, and the Republic of Korea met virtually to discuss progress in addressing the crisis of plastic pollution.

This follows the fourth session of the INC (INC-4) hosted by Canada in April 2024. INC-4 brought together over 3,000 participants from around the world. It focused on the development of a global agreement by the end of the year to end plastic pollution by 2040.

The Alliance reaffirmed its strong commitment to build momentum to finalize the international agreement on plastic pollution by the end of 2024. The final negotiation session (INC-5) will take place in Busan, Republic of Korea, from November 25 to December 1, 2024.

The Alliance underscored the importance of supporting the Chair of the INC and Secretariat in fostering productive, inclusive, and constructive negotiations. The Alliance agreed that its members will convene conversations on key topics where Ministers can help countries identify areas of convergence where more work is needed. Host countries will engage with other nations on these issues to ensure conversations are inclusive. Some key areas will include:

• national action plans and reporting, circular economy, consumption and production of plastics, problematic plastics;
• chemicals of concern; and
• means of implementation.

The Alliance acknowledged the significance of upcoming international events leading up to and including INC-5. These present opportunities to increase political momentum and achieve our objectives, and for broad engagement prior to INC-5.

Members of the Host Country Alliance reiterated their united resolve to reach an agreement in 2024 and will continue their unwavering efforts with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to end plastic pollution for a healthier and more sustainable future for all.

The Host Country Alliance will continue to report on its work over the coming weeks and in the lead up to INC-5.

Minister's quote

We have made great progress towards a new legally binding treaty on plastics. Now we need all countries to rally together for a final push in South Korea. As host countries, we will continue our call for strong, ambitious, and effective obligations across the full life cycle of plastics that are commensurate with the scale of the plastic pollution crisis the world is facing. This treaty gives us hope we can create a level playing field for developing a circular economy for plastics around the world.