From 24 to 28 August 2024, intersessional meetings of the UN Environment Programme Open Expert Groups were held in Bangkok, Thailand. The purpose of the meetings was to discuss the development of an international legally binding instrument to combat plastic pollution, including marine pollution. A delegation from Kazakhstan took part in the discussions, El.kz reports.
The Kazakh delegation was represented by specialists from the Ministries of Energy, Ecology, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Integration, as well as representatives of the Association of Producers and Consumers of Petrochemical Products and the JSC «Kazakhstan Industry and Export Center «QazIndustry»
The Kazakh delegation noted that the country is already carrying out work on plastic waste management aimed at reducing the burden on the environment. At the same time, representatives of Kazakhstan stressed the need to avoid creating barriers to the development of the petrochemical industry and other sectors of the economy related to the use of plastic products.
These expert meetings were an intermediate stage before the final negotiations to be held at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee on Plastic Pollution.
Final negotiations are scheduled for the end of November this year in Busan, South Korea.