UN plastics treaty chair to step down with process in turmoil

"The chair of stalled UN plastics treaty talks, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, is preparing to step down, after accounts of behind-the-scenes pressure from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The move will be announced at a UN meeting on Tuesday, with an official announcement expected by Thursday. Vayas Valdivieso confirmed in an interview with the Guardian that he was resigning and said: There have been some challenges in the process."

"In August, global talks at the UN headquarters in Geneva to agree on a treaty to deal with accelerating plastic pollution collapsed after three years of negotiations. There is currently no deal and the future of the agreement is unclear. The chair's sudden resignation leaves the plastic treaty in an even more uncertain position, and raises questions around the governance of the process."

Luis Vayas Valdivieso is stepping down as chair of the stalled UN plastics treaty talks, with an announcement timed around a UN meeting and an expected official statement by Thursday. Global negotiations in Geneva collapsed in August after three years, leaving no agreement and an uncertain future. The chair faced criticism for releasing a draft text that was rejected by most negotiators and denounced by some delegations as entrenching the status quo. Provisions on production limits, hazardous chemicals, and full life-cycle approaches were removed. A later, marginally improved text arrived too late and was also rejected. Vayas Valdivieso cited personal and professional reasons and defended the process's achievements.

Read at www.theguardian.com