Chilean diplomat named to revive plastics treaty talks

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, which is heading up talks meant to produce a global treaty for plastic pollution, has elected Julio Cordano, Chile’s long-time negotiator on climate and ocean matters, as its chairperson.

The special election in Geneva, Switzerland, was called after the committee’s previous chair, Ecuador’s Luis Vayas Valdivieso, resigned in October, several months after treaty negotiations collapsed with no agreement. 

The vote was conducted by secret ballot after no public consensus was reached; two rounds of voting were required to break the deadlock. 

Cordano, a career diplomat with more than 25 years of service, was the chief negotiator during Chile’s presidency of the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference (COP25). He has led talks on climate adaptation and ocean action, a crucial consideration in the making of plastics pollution policy.

The first order of business for the new chair is to select a host for a fresh round of negotiations. There have been six meetings since March 22, but oil-producing nations including the U.S. are blocking the treaty as currently worded because it sets plastic production limits.

“I am willing and determined to play a leading role in helping the Committee cross the finish line,” Cordano said in a statement. 

GAIA, an alliance that represents more than 1,000 grassroots environmental organizations across the Global South, urged Cordano to bring a higher level of transparency to the negotiating process and to prioritize the needs of civil society.

“The election of the new chair is an important step toward progress, but a treaty that addresses the full life cycle of plastics can only be achieved if Member States cease to protect the interests of plastic polluters,” said Jam Lorenzo, executive director of Ban Toxics, an activist organization in the Philippines, in a statement.