Thread by @ciel_tweets

NEW:
@UNEP announces observers will receive one badge per organization in upcoming #PlasticsTreaty negotiations, severely limiting public participation during #INC2

A thread 🧵:

#INC1 saw 1,600 participants register for online/in-person negotiations. At #INC2, UNEP has shared that nearly 2,700 people are registered. Still, they selected the UNESCO Headquarters, a site with a maximum capacity of 1,500.

Today, UNEP announced that observers, representing civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples Groups, scientists, workers + trade unions, and more, will be limited to one participant per organization inside the building.

The capacity limits of the UNESCO Headquarters building were known when the site was selected. This was a foreseeable — and preventable — issue.

Stakeholder participation provides legitimacy to decisions made during negotiations. Accordingly, the #PlasticsTreaty mandate calls for the widest participation possible.

The intention to restrict participation to one representative per organization flies in the face of the mandate and established best practice by severely curtailing observers' ability to engage in the process.

We call on UNEP to:
1⃣ Immediately remedy the situation by providing overflow rooms with streaming access and alternate arrangements for the hundreds of observers who are effectively shut out of the negotiations.

2⃣ Take steps to kick the polluters responsible for the plastics crisis out of the room, and prioritize the voices of impacted communities in the negotiations.

3⃣ Secure future negotiation locations that can accommodate the full count of delegates, stakeholders, and rightsholders needed to produce the best policy outcome possible.

READ our full reaction here: ciel.org/news/unep-anno…