During November 26 to December 2, 2022, Prof. ZHU Yongguan, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) attended the first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-1) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on behalf of the International Science Council (ISC). INC-1 aims at preparing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, with the ambition of completing that work by the end of 2024. More than 1000 representatives from Member States and stakeholders participated in the meeting.

In accordance with United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 5/14 of 2 March 2022 entitled “End plastic pollution: towards an international legally binding instrument”, INC-1 focused on the high and rapidly increasing levels of plastic pollution and its negative impact on the environment and human health. During the meeting, representatives and participants drafted the framework and process structures of the legally binding instrument. There is an urgent need to strengthen the science-policy interface and global coordination and governance to take further international action.

International Science Council (ISC) is the only international non-governmental organization bringing together the natural and social sciences and is the largest global science organization of its type. Academician ZHU Yongguan , the Science Director of the Institute of Urban Environment, CAS was appointed to the ISC Standing Committee for Science Planning in 2022 and was invited to attend INC-1. He led the preparation and publication of the position paper of ISC, promoted exchanges and cooperation between China and UNEP, ISC and relevant international organizations, and played a role in major international actions of global concern.