GENEVA: As the second week — the make-or-break phase — of the global plastics treaty negotiations gets underway in Geneva, observers are sounding the alarm over being shut out of the talks.
On Monday, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) Secretariat closed the overflow rooms used by observers to follow contact group negotiations, cutting off a vital access point for the 1,800 registered observers at INC-5.2.
The move comes on top of already limited space in the contact group rooms themselves — much of it occupied by industry representatives — making the overflow rooms essential for civil society, scientists, and frontline communities to monitor proceedings.
When some observers raised the issue with the INC Secretariat, they were told the closure was temporary and would be resolved soon. But few are convinced. “We know exactly how many observers have registered and how critical this stage is,” an observer told TNIE. “Adequate arrangements should have been made beforehand. This isn’t an unforeseen problem — it’s a choice.”
Dharmesh Shah, Senior Campaigner at the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL), called the situation “outrageous.” Shah said that despite UNEA resolution 5/14 calling for the “widest possible participation,” observers are repeatedly shut out of contact groups due to alleged space restraints, with inadequate rooms, poor connectivity, and no effective overflow arrangements. “Observers provide lived experience, technical knowledge, and legal expertise. We also serve as watchdogs for what transpires on the floor. Transparency provides legitimacy, something this treaty desperately needs,” he said.
Observers say the timing of the shutdown could not be worse. The second week of talks is where countries hammer out compromises on contentious issues such as production limits, chemical controls, and financing. UNEP confirmed on Monday that 70 ministers or their deputies, along with about 30 other high-level representatives, are registered to join the talks on Tuesday and Wednesday. While the ministerial meetings are not part of the formal negotiations, they are expected to help resolve some of the most intractable disputes.
“If you’re not in the room — or at least able to watch — you can’t hold negotiators accountable,” said Bjorn Beeler, Executive Director of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) to TNIE. “Closing these spaces benefits large delegations, often from oil-exporting countries, while those with smaller teams — and the public — lose out.”
The Geneva controversy is the latest in a pattern stretching back to earlier sessions. At INC-5 in Busan last November, the Civil Society and Rights Holders Coalition — representing more than 200 organisations — condemned arrangements that allowed only 60 observers into contact group rooms, just 3% of those registered, despite nearly 4,000 delegates attending. Many were relegated to a “Blue Zone” 10 minutes away, with poor internet and security rules limiting even bathroom breaks.
At INC-2 in Paris in 2023, UNEP limited observer participation to one representative per organisation, citing venue capacity. Critics say these repeated restrictions are not merely logistical hiccups but systemic choices that tilt the balance toward countries with large delegations and close ties to fossil fuel and petrochemical industries.
This morning (11 Aug), there was a shortage of rooms due to other meetings taking place at the Palais. The INC has now resolved the issue by allocating part of the Assembly Hall (Building A, 3rd floor) as a CG overflow room, as well as utilizing the Observer room as an overflow space, a UNEP spokesperson said.