ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has stepped up engagement with Gulf and regional partners on a planned global plastics treaty, holding talks with senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other states at high-level negotiations in Geneva this week, the ministry of climate change said on Wednesday.
The discussions took place during the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5.2), part of ongoing UN-led efforts to produce the first legally binding international agreement to curb plastic waste. Negotiations have drawn wide participation from governments, industry and civil society, with particular focus on measures to reduce plastic production, boost recycling, and address the mounting environmental and economic costs of plastic pollution.
Pakistan has positioned itself as a voice for developing countries in the talks, stressing the need for fairness, financial support and technology transfer to help poorer nations tackle the crisis. Gulf states, several of which are major petrochemical producers, are seen as key stakeholders in shaping the treaty’s scope and implementation, both as plastic producers and as potential investors in recycling and waste-management infrastructure.
