Samoa, as Chair of AOSIS, flags special circumstances of SIDS at plastic treaty talks

PHOTO: SPREP. Retrieved from islandsbusiness.com

As officials and negotiators sift through the revised draft text of the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) has reiterated that the instrument must take into account the special circumstances of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The point was raised by Samoa, as the Chair of AOSIS, during opening plenary of INC-4 underway at the Shaw Centre, Ottawa Canada, from 23 to 29 April 2024.

The special circumstances of SIDS in relation to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and plastic pollution, refers to their small size and small economies which makes them inherently susceptible to external economic and financial shocks.

The plastic pollution crisis has placed Pacific communities at the forefront of impacts despite the region’s measly contribution of 1.3 per cent to global statistics.