YOUTH PLASTIC ACTION NETWORK

The Youth Plastic Action Network (YPAN) is a newly convened global platform dedicated to addressing the plastic pollution crisis through advocacy, innovation, and collaboration. Established to amplify youth voices in policy processes and foster intergenerational partnerships, YPAN serves as a hub for empowering young people and organizations to actively contribute to policy interventions in combating plastic pollution at all levels.

Established as a specialized youth constituency, YPAN provides a structured, transparent, and inclusive framework for youth engagement in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process, the future International Legally Binding Instrument on plastic pollution, and other relevant forums.

Vision

A world free from plastic pollution, where youth are active architects of innovative solutions, equitable policies, and inclusive governance frameworks.

Mission

To empower youth-led and youth-serving organizations and individuals to contribute meaningfully to multilateral efforts to combat plastic pollution, through advocacy, capacity-building, collaboration, and policy engagement.

Objectives

Amplify Youth Advocacy: Facilitate structured and impactful youth engagement in global governance on plastic pollution, including the INC and ILBI negotiations.
Empower Through Capacity Building: Strengthen the knowledge and skills of youth to engage effectively in decision-making, innovation, and policy actions.
Foster Collaboration: Promote intergenerational equity and cross-sectoral partnerships to ensure holistic approaches to tackling plastic pollution.
Coordinate Inputs: Serve as the unified voice of youth, consolidating inputs from individuals and organizations to inform and influence policies and practices.

Emergence

The ad hoc open-ended expert group on marine litter and microplastics (AHEG) was established at the third session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) in response to UNEA Resolution 3/7: Marine Litter and Microplastics. At the fourth session of UNEA, the mandate of the expert group was extended, pursuant to operative paragraph 7 of UNEA Resolution 4/6: Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics. Recognizing the need for youth engagement in addressing marine litter and microplastics, the Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP (CYMG) established its Marine Litter and Microplastics Working Group in 2020. This group initiated youth participation in AHEG and facilitated engagement at the fourth session of AHEG virtually.

Through this working group, CYMG provided inputs to the negotiations on draft resolutions related to plastic pollution at the Resumed Fifth Session of the Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR 5.2). Additionally, the group actively participated in intergovernmental discussions leading to the successful adoption of UNEA Resolution 5/14: End Plastic Pollution: Towards an International Legally Binding Instrument. In alignment with the resolution, the working group was renamed the Plastic Action Working Group to reflect the broadened scope of its work.

In response to UNEA Resolution 5/14, UNEP convened an Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) from 30 May to 1 June 2022 in Dakar, Senegal, to prepare for the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on plastic pollution. A representative of the CYMG Plastic Action Working Group participated in the OEWG meeting and contributed to Multistakeholder Dialogues in Dakar. Subsequently, CYMG, through its working group, submitted several written inputs to member states to highlight youth expectations and demands from the treaty and organized capacity-building sessions to enable effective youth participation in the INC process.

Before INC-2, CYMG co-convened the Global Youth Coalition on Plastic Pollution (GYCPP) to ensure broader and more effective youth engagement in INC negotiations. As the INC process matured, CYMG, with the support of its Plastic Action Working Group, established an Expert Informal Facilitation Team (IFT) to bring together youth experts from diverse fields, including law, medicine, chemicals and waste, advocacy, finance, and communication. The IFT facilitated several multistakeholder webinars and organized a Youth and Stakeholder Assembly on Plastic Pollution (YSA) on 24th November 2024 in Busan, ahead of INC-5.

Recognizing the need for a structured, efficient, and formal framework to further advance youth engagement in the Intergovernmental processes on plastic pollution, the Youth Plastic Action Network (YPAN) was established. YPAN provides an inclusive platform to coordinate youth advocacy, amplify their voices in global policy discussions, and foster cross-sectoral collaboration in tackling plastic pollution. Through its structured organs and inclusive framework, YPAN ensures that youth play a meaningful and impactful role in shaping the outcomes of the INC and the future International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution.

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