On 2 March 2022, Member States of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) unanimously agreed to develop a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. The adopted resolution, End Plastic Pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument, establishes an intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC) that will develop the specific content of the new treaty with the aim of completing its work by 2024.

GRID-Arendal (www.grida.no) is a Norwegian non-for-profit foundation that specialises in complex environmental issues. Its mission is to support environmentally sustainable development by communicating information that strengthens environmental management capacity and motivates decision-makers to act. The results of this project will present a set of evidence-based recommendations for policymakers involved in the negotiation process on a new treaty on plastic pollution, based on lessons learned from wide range of existing multilateral treaties.

Background

On 2 March 2022, Member States of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) unanimously agreed to develop a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. The adopted resolution, End Plastic Pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument, establishes an intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC) that will develop the specific content of the new treaty with the aim of completing its work by 2024.

In November 2023, the Plastic Pollution INC-3 will take place at UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. This provides a critical opportunity to highlight the issue of a just transition for the informal waste sector, which play a huge role in recycling and mitigation of plastic pollution. As part of capacity building efforts in West Africa for a global plastics treaty we aim to engage (West-)African negotiators on this issue.

GRID-Arendal (www.grida.no) is a Norwegian non-for-profit foundation that specialises in complex environmental issues. Its mission is to support environmentally sustainable development by communicating information that strengthens environmental management capacity and motivates decision-makers to act. The results of this project will present a set of evidence-based recommendations for policymakers involved in the negotiation process on a new treaty on plastic pollution, based on lessons learned from wide range of existing multilateral treaties.

Main Activities

Legislative Theatre has been used in the past as a tool engage decision-makers to a diverse range of issues where participants have the opportunity to create change. By co-creating a short piece of Legislative Theatre with Litter Pickers from Kenya, we aim to showcase to the event attendees the vast amount of shared knowledge the litter pickers have alongside the struggles they face in the face of systemic and institutional discrimination and ignorance.

Objectives are to:

• Create awareness and capacity with decision-makers for a just transition for the informal waste sector

• Engage decision-makers in the issue of a just transition for the Informal Waste Sector using an arts-based participatory method, preferably Legislative Theatre

• Co-create knowledge on how to include the informal waste sector in the treaty development and implementation.

Outputs and activities

1. Produce a multiple day workshop with Litter Pickers

2. Produce a ‘Legislative Theatre’ performance during or around INC-3 in Nairobi

3. Document the process using film production, which can be used as a knowledge product to engage and inform other stakeholders unable to be present at the performance on the use of Legislative theatre to engage policy-makers/decision-makers on the just transition for the informal waste sector within the Plastics Treaty negotiations, and to disseminate results and outcomes

4. Communication and dissemination efforts to participate in the workshop

5. Communication and dissemination of the documentary film

Required qualifications:

• Capacity to undertake workshops on Legislative Theatre

i. Exhibiting sufficient understanding of the INC process and plastic pollution, and how litter pickers play a significant role for plastic pollution mitigation and recycling

ii. Capacity to mobilise sufficient, appropriately qualified personnel to lead and undertake Legislative Theatre workshops

iii. Proven knowledge on the Informal Waste Sector in Kenya

iv. Having an established network with the informal waste sector in Kenya

• Proven ability in:

i. Arts-based participatory methods

ii. Leading workshops with decision-makers

iii. Developing a product for dissemination (film production)

iv. Writing project reports

See the attachments for more information on how to submit the proposal.