The Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution, Julio Cordano (Chile), has circulated a letter updating INC members on progress in the implementation of his roadmap for the work of the Committee in the lead up to the fourth part of its fifth session (INC-5.4).

In his letter dated 29 July 2026, the Chair thanks INC members for their active participation in the informal in-person meeting of Heads of Delegation that took place in Nairobi from 30 June to 3 July 2026. According to Cordano, this meeting was the first opportunity to engage in substantive discussions in the ten-month period since the last round of negotiations (INC-5.2).

According to the Chair, thanks to the strong commitment of all delegations and “a true spirit of collaboration,” the meeting was able to conduct a comprehensive review of progress and explore new ideas and proposals. To facilitate future work, Cordano will circulate a summary note of the meeting and prepare an ‘Aid to Negotiations’ informal reference document “to serve as a basis for our forthcoming discussions and to help structure our engagement in the next phase,” including at the second informal in-person meeting of Heads of Delegation to be held in Bangkok from 27-30 September 2026.

Between the Nairobi and Bangkok meetings, the Chair invites all INC members to reflect on “revisit[ing] the mandates to the Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries, as these will be a component of the package to be agreed as part of the outcome of the INC.” As the instrument should be concise and comprehensive, yet sufficiently adaptable to address current and future challenges, the resolutions of the Diplomatic Conference that will accompany the text of the instrument at the moment of its adoption can illuminate “the agenda of work and the next steps,” according to the letter.

The Chair notes that the resolutions of the Diplomatic Conference could inform the preparation for the instrument’s entry into force and the decisions for consideration and adoption by the Conference of the Parties at its first meeting (COP-1), including mandates to:

• Develop draft Rules of Procedure of the COP;
• Operationalize the financial mechanism at COP-1; and
• Set up a process covering the period between the adoption of the instrument and COP-1, including interim secretariat arrangements.

The Chair further notes that the goal of the second meeting of Heads of Delegation in Bangkok will be to begin consolidating areas of convergence, advance consideration of outstanding issues, and start identifying solutions.

According to the letter, Cordano will also continue working on ways to enhance participation of observers in the INC process. Currently, “the draft Rules of Procedure that provisionally apply to the work of the INC provide for participation of Observers [only] in formal INC sessions.” [Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution]