Financing Implementation of the Global Plastics Treaty - Delivering Outcomes for People, Nature and Climate

Plastic pollution affects terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, threatens food security and human health, and imposes significant economic costs on societies worldwide. Effective implementation of the future global Plastics Treaty represents an opportunity not only to reduce plastic pollution but also to advance biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, climate resilience and sustainable development. An effective financial mechanism must support implementation across the full lifecycle of plastics, mobilize resources from multiple sources, respond to the needs of developing countries, and remain sufficiently flexible to evolve over time. 

Drawing on lessons from other multilateral environmental agreements, including the Montreal Protocol, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), the new IUCN and IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL) Brief, funded through NORAD, on “Financing Implementation of the Global Plastics Treaty - Delivering Outcomes for People, Nature and Climate” identifies key considerations for negotiators and proposes 10 recommendations for a future plastics treaty financial mechanism.  

The brief complements the NORAD funded IUCN legal and policy support, capacity building for negotiators such as the legal training at UNEA7, and practical solutions to help countries meet obligations across multiple international frameworks, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and its Target 7 in particular:  

As IUCN looks ahead to rolling out the 2026–2029 Programme and gets ready to implement the recently adopted IUCN Resolution 8.058 on “Advancing actions to end plastic pollution to protect human health, biodiversity and the environment” we aim to bridge global policy, regional and local conservation action, and regenerative economic models - helping countries and communities achieve healthy, resilient ecosystems and a just transition toward a nature positive circular and regenerative future.   

In the INC Activities leading up to INC-5.4 IUCN and IUCN WCEL, as mandated by its members, will continue to play a catalytic role in supporting Member States in policy discussions, scaling up conservation solutions, and integrating plastics into the emerging paradigm of a Regenerative Blue Economy.