The UN-led 'Global Plastics Treaty' is a 3-year international effort between nearly 180 countries, business leaders and NGOs to address the 'out of control' problem that plastic pollution has become for our planet. UN member countries called for unified action in 2022. After SIX rounds of negotiations spanning to the end of 2025, there still wasn't a comprehensive treaty. In fact, even more information about plastics was coming out about human health implications, plastic subsidies that make plastics cheaper and calls for production caps to stop the flow of plastic into our environment. Over 120 nations called for firm treaty text language to create the same rules and binding regulations for the ENTIRE life cycle of plastic - irregardless of borders. Hope is that this treaty could bring the eventual END of single-use plastics around the world, if successful!

Hidden Plastic was honoured to have attended the second round of negotiations at INC-2 (which stands for 'Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee') in the Paris UNESCO building in May 2023. We also attended INC-4 in Ottawa, Canada in April 2024 and INC-5 in Busan, S. Korea last November...in spite of the fact that officially no 'under 18s' were allowed to register. We then attended the 'last' INC-5.2 from August 5-15th, 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. The world expected this to be the FINAL negotiation...and it failed again! The Chair subsequently resigned, and there will be an election of a new Chair in Geneva at INC-5.3 on February 7th, 2026. Ashton & Zara were able to deliver their "Children's Statement" on Children & Youth priorities to TWO of the THREE Chair candidates at UNEA-7 in Nairobi in December 2025. A recently they both moderated the Q&As to the Senegalese & Chilean Chair candidates during the Youth Plastic Action Network (YPAN) webinar January 28th, 2026. They hope to be able to attend INC-5.4 in Nairobi, Kenya this autumn, dependent on financial resources and UNEP passes.

Ashton & Zara's active participation at these international events has highlighted that their generation is grossly under-represented, has an important voice to add to the negotiations AND should be included at the international table where important decisions are currently being made. Decisions that will profoundly impact THEIR future!