Colleagues,

I take the floor on behalf of [the 94 countries listed below].

We carry the weight of expectations of our citizens — who are counting on us to protect them and the environment from the plastic pollution crisis. We must do everything within our power to meet this expectation.

This is our shared determination: to ensure this instrument will target and eliminate the most urgent risks of plastic pollution at the global level.

The Article on Plastic Products and Chemicals in the instrument text must contain a clear, legally binding obligation to phase out the most harmful plastic products and chemicals of concern in plastics.

Without such an obligation, the instrument will fail to deliver the predictable regulatory framework urgently needed by states, businesses, civil society and the environment.

A treaty without clear legally binding rules is not acceptable. It would reflect neither the ambition, nor the specific text proposals supported by the vast majority of states in these negotiations. It would be a treaty in name only.

A legally binding obligation to phase out those most harmful plastic products and chemicals of concern in plastics is a cornerstone for an effective treaty. It is what we must do to protect human health and the environment from plastic pollution as promised by UNEA Resolution 5/14.

We all arrived in Busan with the hope of achieving a strong treaty to combat plastic pollution. But hope alone is not enough — we must act decisively. Mexico, along with 93 other states supporting this statement, is taking a stand to make it a reality.

Chair, 94 countries have spoken. The ambitious and willing majority of states stand ready — to move forward and conclude this obligation. Let us seize this moment to deliver the decisive action that our people and our planet urgently need.

Thank you.