OBSERVERS TO THE GLOBAL PLASTICS TREATY 

Proposal for self-organisation

July 6th 2026

Observers to the UNEP-led negotiations of the Global Plastics Treaty are undeniably the experts in the room. Observers come from various countries and backgrounds such as scientific researchers studying human health implications, independent voices warning the public about the unfathomable scale of plastic pollution, number crunchers evidencing staggering negative externalities, businesses impacted by lack of regulation, indigenous and underprivileged communities seeking relief from the flood of plastic pollution, experts warning about the impact of plastics on our oceans and life within it, waste pickers who literally handle the plastic problem every day and the youth who understand they will soon inherit this crisis.

In light of this urgency for an effective plastics treaty to be concluded, INC Chair Julio Cordano has invited Observers to self-organise into a structure that best incorporates our collective expertise during the treaty negotiation process. The proposed framework below outlines how Observers could self-organise into four distinct Working Groups to inform, advise, propose text language, review text and communicate this important multi-stakeholder process to the world. In addition, many Member States experience a turnover of new delegates who arrive at negotiations without a thorough understanding of the complex issues, and would greatly benefit from capacity-building and advice from this large body of experts.

If Observers can self-organise into useful advisory bodies, while harnessing our unique knowledge, skills and negotiating strengths in a meaningful way, we can work more effectively as an united front. We have been told Observers would be allowed to attend Informals, if this were to happen. It's even possible that these Advisory Bodies could earn an official mandate to inform and advise members of the Secretariat and Member State delegations where appropriate, as outlined below in the proposed org chart. But, this influence will only be possible if Observers agree to work together in a structured way.

Chair Cordano has invited us to ‘step outside of the box’, so Observers can best help him to finalise the perhaps most complex UN treaty to date. We are now reaching out to other Observers who would like to help design and support this self-organisation process, while placing ourselves into the roles where we can be most impactful. There are many Observer groups capable of spanning all three proposed groups, but we request that they take on the role that are most specialised to do. Many voices and perspectives are needed, and if Observers self-organise into a process that maximises this incredible wealth of expertise, the plastics treaty will have a much greater chance of being ambitious.