Nigeria rejects UN plastics treaty draft in Geneva, citing lack of health safeguards, transparency, and failure to address full life cycle of plastic pollution

Nigeria rejects UN plastics treaty draft after nine days of absence from critical negotiations in Geneva, raising concerns over health risks, transparency, and environmental justice.

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On Wednesday, at the United Nations Plastics Treaty plenary in Geneva, Nigeria’s head delegate, Jibrin Ahmadu, delivered the country’s first public reaction to the latest “Chair’s Draft Text Proposal.”

Nigeria joined over 80 other nations in rejecting the 12-page draft released just two hours before the plenary began.

“We have our concerns regarding the text that has just been released. We want to specifically mention that the text has gone out of the United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 5/14,” Mr Ahmadu stated.

He noted the proposal fails to adopt a full life cycle approach to plastics, omitting critical health-related provisions and lacking measures to identify and restrict hazardous chemicals such as endocrine disruptors.

Nigeria also expressed disappointment that the draft excluded transparency mechanisms surrounding the production and use of plastic-related chemicals.

Mr. Ahmadu emphasized that unless those areas are addressed, Nigeria would refrain from engaging further.

Other countries, including Chile, Colombia, Panama, Kenya, Ghana, and EU member states, echoed similar sentiments.

Delegates cited gaps in the document’s coverage of technology transfer, compliance, and international cooperation, and criticized the compressed length of the draft—from 35 pages down to just 12—as insufficient to fulfill the negotiation mandates.

“The text is clearly unbalanced, and it is not a mandate for further deliberation,” said Chile’s head of delegation, Julio Cordano.

Observers and civil society organizations (CSOs) also condemned the proposal. Greenpeace USA’s Graham Forbes described the draft as “a gift to the petrochemical industry and a betrayal of humanity.”

He added that the text completely ignores production limits and hazardous chemical regulations, fueling the “industry lie” that recycling alone can resolve the plastic crisis.

David Azoulay from the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL) called the text “a mockery” of three years of negotiation, arguing that its token references to human rights and health were insufficient and misleading.

During the heated plenary, Nigeria proposed that the Chair halt further discussions until “red lines” and unresolved concerns are addressed and incorporated into a revised draft.

“It is important Mr Chair, you go back with your team, articulate what has been presented as redlines and concerns, then the document circulated for us to look at, after which we can have this meeting,” Nigeria’s representative asserted.

The Chair’s suggestion to continue regional consultations was dismissed. Instead, many delegates urged direct dialogue with heads of delegation (HoD+1) to tackle key disputes.

With less than 30 hours before the treaty’s conclusion on August 14, uncertainty remains over whether a final text can be agreed upon.

If consensus is reached, a Diplomatic Conference of the Plenipotentiaries (DipCon) will be convened for official adoption and ratification by member states.

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As negotiations push through the final night, observers question whether the process can deliver a treaty that genuinely addresses the global plastic crisis—or merely delays real action.