Department of Environment participates in International Plastics Treaty negotiations

Press Release – Belmopan, Belize – May 2, 2024 – Belize enacted the Environmental Protection (Pollution from Plastics) Regulations in 2020, which prohibits the importation of single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam products. The aim of the legislation is to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of plastic pollution. The Department of the Environment, within the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, regulates the provisions of the law and is currently evaluating its implementation.
Concurrently, the world is also looking at developing an international legally binding agreement on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The agreement will cover the full life cycle of the plastic from the pre-production stage to final disposal. Belize joined the rest of the world in Ottawa, Canada, to further the negotiations on the legal framework of the agreement. At the session, our national delegates elaborated on the high sensitivity of our marine ecosystems, including the Belize Barrier Reef System and its importance as a world heritage site. Highlights were also presented on the importance of having an effective finance mechanism that includes an implementation fund and a rehabilitation fund for developing countries and small island developing states (SIDS). Negotiations will continue on contentious topics such as chemicals of concern, problematic and avoidable plastics, setting targets for reduction in the manufacturing of plastics, improving product design, just transition, etc., with a view to having a final agreement by the end of 2024.
This latest round of negotiation is considered a success because parts of the textual framework of the agreement were streamlined. Approval was granted for additional meetings to take place on contentious matters and for the establishment of a legal drafting group to ensure the correctness of the text.
Belize was represented at the International Negotiating Committee by Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer, and Aldo Cansino, Environmental Officer, from the Department of the Environment. Bilateral meetings were also held with delegates from Guyana to discuss knowledge transfer through south-south cooperation and with Comisión Centroamericana de Ambiente y Desarrollo (CCAD) to explore project ideas for implementation in Belize. Delegates also attended a training organized by the German Government on a tool for the effective implementation of the agreement.