First Plenary Session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution (ISP-CWP)

The plenary brought together over 700 participants, including delegates from approximately 127 Member States of the Panel, 232 observers, and 11 non-Member States, as well as the European Union in its capacity as a Regional Economic Integration Organization (REIO), 10 United Nations entities, and the Secretariats of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).

Simone Marzeddu, from the Hazardous Substances Section (DG-TEC), participated on behalf of ISPRA as part of the Italian delegation, together with representatives from the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) and the National Research Council (CNR).

During the session, the Plenary proceeded with the election of the Chair and 80% of the members of the Bureau. However, the meeting was marked by intense discussions on several outstanding procedural issues. In particular, no consensus was reached on some key elements essential for the Panel’s operational functioning, including:

• Adoption of the Rules of Procedure (RoP);

• Designation of the Secretariat’s host location;

• Establishment of the trust fund and financial mechanisms;

• Adoption of the intersessional work programme;

• Adoption of the final session report.

These issues reflect the complexity of the new body and the need to consolidate a shared framework to ensure transparency, inclusiveness, and a strong scientific foundation—elements also highlighted during the preparatory work carried out in previous years.

The ISP-CWP Panel was established in implementation of the mandate conferred by Resolution 5/8 (2022) of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) and was formally constituted in June 2025. It will play a key role in guiding future global policy decisions and will be tasked with providing independent scientific assessments on risks, impacts, and solutions related to chemicals, waste, and pollution, similar to the role that the IPCC and IPBES play for climate change and biodiversity, respectively.

Document references

The draft report of the first plenary session, which was not adopted due to the lack of agreement on procedural matters, is available here.

The document on the Rules of Procedure (RoP) discussed so far, which were the subject of deliberations without reaching final consensus, is available here.

Further information is available on the event webpage.