The first Plenary session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution (ISP-CWP) concluded without fully completing any of its expected deliverables. The Plenary elected a Chair and 80% of its Bureau but could not agree on the rules of procedure (RoP). As a result, the meeting was “mired in procedural debates.”

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary report of the meeting highlights uncertainties involved in understanding the risks posed by various forms of pollution, “underscoring the clear need for an interface between experts and policymakers on chemicals, waste and pollution.” The ISP-CWP could help address the challenges policymakers face in understanding these risks, it notes.

However, as one Panel member pointed out, the science-policy interface “does not exist in a vacuum.” The ENB analysis suggests geopolitics, economic interests, or “a desire to dampen pollution science” may have contributed to the meeting’s challenges.

While the Chair and Vice-Chairs from four of the five regions were all uncontested, the Eastern European Region’s nominations were. “The Russian Federation was dead set against a vote that could go against their nominee,” ENB writes. “As a result, the Panel’s rules of procedure had to be first agreed, before any other progress was possible.”

Other hotly debated issues included the type and frequency of the Panel’s meetings and whether meetings of the Plenary, subsidiary bodies, and the Bureau would be held in public or private.

In the end, the meeting did not adopt an agenda or consider intersessional work. Nor did it agree to the physical location of the Panel’s Secretariat. The Panel did not agree to establish a trust fund. It did not agree to the dates and venue of the next session. And no report of the meeting was adopted.

The ISP-CWP was established in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in June 2025. It is expected to raise awareness, assist developing countries in accessing knowledge, and scan the horizon for emerging issues of concern. The Panel’s first Plenary convened from 2-6 February 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland. Over 700 participants attended the session, including 127 Panel members, 232 observer organizations, 11 states that are not members of the Panel, one regional economic integration organization, and ten UN entities and Secretariats of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). [ENB Coverage of the First Session of the ISP-CWP Plenary]