The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) has elected Ambassador Julio Cordano of Chile as its new chair, as the process to develop a legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution enters its next phase.
The election took place in Geneva on 7 February during the third part of the fifth INC session (INC-5.3), which was convened solely for organisational purposes following the breakdown of talks in late 2025.
In accepting the role, Ambassador Cordano said plastic pollution was a planetary challenge requiring urgent, collective action.
“Plastic pollution is a planetary problem that affects every country, community and individual,” he said. “A treaty is urgently needed to support concerted action and bring us together to address this shared responsibility. I am willing and determined to play a leading role in helping the Committee cross the finish line.”
Experts concur the next phase of talks will be decisive. With new leadership in place, there is an opportunity to reset the process, but according to research coming out of the EU and UK, procedural reform will be central to the successful negotiation of a Global Plastics Treaty.
Following the appointment of the chair, the committee also elected Linroy Christian of Antigua and Barbuda as vice-chair.
The INC confirmed that no substantive negotiations were held during the resumed session, which focused exclusively on the election of officers.
The INC was established following the adoption of a resolution at the resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022. Its mandate is to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, addressing the full life cycle of plastics.
The Geneva meeting follows INC-5.2, also held in Geneva in August 2025, which failed to reach agreement and led to the resignation of the previous chair. The timing of future substantive negotiations has not yet been confirmed.
