GAIA campaigns for new plastics treaty chair “from the global south”

GAIA is urging the Bureau to elect a “Chairperson from the Global South” following the announced departure of Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso of Ecuador, who is stepping down as Chair of the plastics treaty negotiations. Chair Vagas has been on the receiving end of frequent criticism from the GAIA regarding his “lack of transparency and efforts to cater to the lowest common denominator.”

Members of the GAIA are urging the Bureau to elect a “Chairperson from the Global South” who can unite the majority in the region while also encouraging Member States to break through the consensus deadlock, ensuring a minority negotiating in bad faith can’t prevent a strong treaty from being agreed to.

“After the catastrophic leadership of INC-5.2, we need a chair willing to reflect the will of the ambitious majority in the treaty text, be independent from UNEP's partisan and reckless stewardship of the treaty negotiations and uphold the 5/14 mandate to cover the full life cycle of plastics,” said Ana Rocha, Plastics Program Director of GAIA. “From the very beginning, the Global South has led the charge for a strong treaty-- in this pivotal moment in treaty negotiations, we need that leadership more than ever. We encourage the Bureau to elect a Chair that represents the Global South vision and commitment to justice.”

Salisa “Yam” Traipipitsiriwat, Senior Campaigner and Southeast Asia Plastics Project Manager of Environmental Justice Foundation Thailand, added, “We must closely watch what the new Chair brings to the table. It is essential that they come from a high-ambition country, one that is genuinely committed to driving real change. But more importantly, we need to monitor the process itself, which has shown to be in the way of the outcomes the world urgently needs to end the plastic crisis. I hope the new Chair brings fresh energy, clarity, and a renewed sense of hope.”

"While Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso’s departure as Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) marks a shift in leadership, it does not address the real problem. The paralysis in the UNEP-led plastics treaty negotiations stems not from who holds the gavel, but from the process itself. As long as the INC continues to operate without agreed rules of procedure — and as long as decision-making remains trapped in a consensus-only model — injustice will persist. A system that allows a handful of countries to block progress denies equity to the majority of states that are ready to act. It perpetuates an imbalance of power that favours obstruction over cooperation, and status quo over ambition,” said Nadine Wahab of Sustainable Network Egypt Eco-Dahab. “A new chair must do more than guide discussions. The process must begin with a vote to adopt rules of procedure that allow for democratic decision-making when consensus fails. This is not about abandoning dialogue — it’s about recognising that consensus without justice is not agreement, it’s coercion. The legitimacy of the plastics treaty depends on restoring fairness and functionality to the negotiations.”

“Luis Vayas’ resignation represents a wake-up call for the plastics treaty negotiations. It offers a chance to solve the deadlock by confronting the deeper structural failures that have allowed petrostate influence and unequal power dynamics to undermine ambition. Plastic pollution is a colonial crisis, with the Global South bearing the impacts of waste colonialism and toxic exposure while decisions favour the interests of a few. To restore legitimacy, the INC must move beyond the tyranny of consensus and empower leadership grounded in justice and science. The Bureau now has a critical role to play: ensuring transparency, and resisting political pressure, while honouring the ambition that the Global South has consistently brought to the table,” concluded Rafael Eudes of Aliança Resíduo Zero Brasil.