Egypt's Ministry of Local Development and Environment announced on Sunday that a national delegation, led by Ali Abou Sennah, head of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, participated in the second round of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) in Geneva, which is working to draft a legally binding international treaty on plastic pollution, including marine waste. Acting Environment Minister Manal Awad said the negotiations, held from 5 to 15 August, brought together more than 2,600 representatives from 183 member states and 400 observer organisations, including NGOs, waste pickers, and youth groups. She warned that plastic pollution poses an escalating global threat to public health and ecosystems, requiring urgent and collective international action. Awad noted that the Egyptian delegation—which also included representatives from the ministries of foreign affairs and petroleum, along with the Federation of Egyptian Industries—actively supported Egypt's positions across working groups. These discussions covered key issues such as sustainable plastic production, raw materials, and financing mechanisms for the treaty. The session ended with countries agreeing to continue negotiations in a further round, with the ultimate goal of adopting a comprehensive global treaty to end plastic pollution. On the sidelines, Egypt held bilateral talks with officials from Germany, Norway, the United States, Bangladesh, and the United Kingdom. It also participated in regional coordination groups, including the African and Arab blocs, as well as the "like-minded" coalition, and contributed to the ministerial segment on 12–13 August. Awad underscored the importance of reaching a consensus text to effectively tackle plastic pollution, reaffirming Egypt's commitment to advancing international cooperation for environmental protection and sustainable development.
