Informal HOD meeting
30th June 2026 to 3rd July 2026
Nairobi Kenya
Plenary 3rd July 2026
Thank you, Chair.
As this meeting draws to a close, India thanks you for your stewardship. We also place on record our appreciation of the INC Secretariat for its untiring support, and of the co-facilitators for their skilful conduct of the cluster discussions.
Chair, the exchanges this week have been candid and constructive. It is essential that the positivity and trust we have collectively managed to rebuild be carried forward through a process that is fair, transparent, inclusive and Member State-driven.
To that end, the two documents to emerge from this meeting — the “no surprises document” and the “new ideas document” — must capture the full range of views expressed by Member States, including the points of divergence. Each must draw solely on sources acknowledged by Member States. Members should have the opportunity to satisfy themselves of the same. A document can serve as a faithful aide to negotiation only if every delegation can recognise its own position in it.
The same standard must apply to the cluster summaries. They should accurately reflect the range of views on the proposals discussed. We would also welcome clarity on how discussions held outside the clusters, notably on scope and decision-making, will be recorded and carried into our future work.
Chair, kindly allow me to reiterate briefly the considerations that will guide India as we move towards INC-5.4:
First, the scope must remain confined to the mandate of resolution 5/14. The instrument should complement existing multilateral environmental agreements, not duplicate them, particularly WTO and WHO. They must not create unnecessary or unjustifiable barriers to trade.
Second, India’s position on upstream measures remains unchanged. We do not support provisions to cap or regulate the production of primary plastic polymers, nor global lists of plastic products with phase-out timelines.
Third, means of implementation are not an appendix to ambition; they are its precondition. The instrument must provide developing countries with adequate, predictable and accessible financial resources, technical assistance and technology transfer on fair and favourable terms. Obligations and means must advance together. It is therefore imperative that it is anchored in Rio Principle of CBDR.
Fourth, India remains convinced, as do many in this room, that consensus is the only mode of decision-making for this process. Decisions taken by consensus take longer; however, they are also the decisions that endure, because they are owned by all.
Chair, a final word on what ambition should mean in this negotiation. This instrument will be measured not by the language we adopt, but by the implementation it commands..
Universality is not a dilution of ambition. It is the measure of it.
India remains committed to engaging constructively, in Nairobi and beyond. We look forward to a process and an outcome that are transparent, balanced and, most importantly, effective in addressing plastic pollution.
I thank you, Chair.
