INC5.2 Africa Journalists Network Media Briefing Webinar
African journalists are invited to a pivotal webinar on July 24, 2025, at 6 PM Amman time, hosted by the African Journalist Network alongside GAIA and Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) Africa.
This virtual briefing is timed perfectly ahead of the resumed INC‑5.2 session (August 5–14) of the UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Geneva.
Designed to build journalistic capacity and perspective, the webinar will equip media professionals to deliver context-rich coverage that connects plastics pollution, climate change, public health, and justice.
Plastics Pollution: More Than Waste
Africa is saddled with an escalating plastics crisis.
While global recycling rates linger at just 9%, and 22% of plastic is mismanaged, many African nations far exceed those levels, with mismanagement rates reaching 70–90% .
This mismanagement manifests through open burning, unregulated dumps, and informal plastic collection—all of which destroy ecosystems, contaminate water sources, and threaten public health.
Open burning of plastic waste releases greenhouse gases and hazardous pollutants, magnifying respiratory and cardiovascular disease risks in urban and rural communities alike .
In coastal West Africa, the World Bank estimates that for every ton of mismanaged plastic, local economies lose $10,000–33,000 due to impaired fisheries, tourism, and public health burdens .
Plastics Fuel the Climate Emergency
Fossil-fuel-based plastics are a significant and growing source of greenhouse gas emissions.
A 2019 analysis by the Center for International Environmental Law projected that plastics could consume 15% of the global carbon budget by 2050 .
Already, plastics contribute about 3.8% of annual emissions—an amount that grows with every ton produced, consumed, and discarded.
Africa, although responsible for just 3–4% of global greenhouse gases, is among the hardest-hit regions by rising temperatures, sea-level rise, extreme weather, and food insecurity .
With melting glaciers, shifting rainfall patterns, and frequent flooding and droughts now common, the continent’s climate resilience is failing to keep pace with accelerating threats.
Climate & Economic Impact in Africa
Over the last century, Africa has warmed by about 1 °C, with hotspots like the Sahel experiencing daily minimum temperature increases of up to 3 °C .
Sea-level rise threatens 54 million coastal residents, and climate-driven damage is projected to cost the continent 2–5% of GDP annually by 2050 .
The plastics crisis both exacerbates and derives from this climate vulnerability.
Poor waste infrastructure leads to open burning, which worsens air quality, accelerates global warming via black carbon, and deepens health inequalities among already marginalized populations.
INC‑5.2: A Crucial Turning Point
The INC‑5.2 session in Geneva represents the most significant opportunity to date to shape a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty.
The failed negotiations at Busan (Dec 2024) left key provisions unresolved, including:
- Caps on plastic production and the use of toxic chemicals
- Binding global targets
- Equitable financing and capacity building for low- and middle-income countries
- Support for the inclusion of informal waste workers
At July’s African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN‑20), ministers reaffirmed support for a robust, life-cycle-oriented treaty.
They emphasized justice for frontline communities, corporate accountability, and technology transfer .
The Thinking Behind the Webinar
This July 24 webinar is not a general overview—it’s a strategic tool for media professionals. Participants will:
- Hear from treaty negotiators and GAIA/BFFP Africa spokespeople, gaining insight into negotiation stances and priorities.
- Understand how treaty provisions link to local realities, from incineration and chemical toxicity to health and livelihoods.
- Gain access to data, case studies, and visuals that underscore plastics as a development, environmental, and climate issue.
Media coverage shaped by informed, African-led analysis can elevate the voices of communities who often bear the worst costs, without decision-making power.
Local Stories, Global Frames
Across Africa, numerous examples illustrate both the promise and the gap in tackling plastics:
- Rwanda pioneered a ban on plastic bags in 2008, followed by Kenya in 2017. These bans ushered in cleaner streets but exposed enforcement gaps and industry resistance.
- In Zanzibar, a partnership between TUI and local recyclers is collecting beach plastics to create building materials and furniture. But scale—funding, logistics, and materials are limited.
- Cabo Verde supports women-led Ecocentres, which convert waste into crafts and school supplies—yet financing and market access remain fragile.
- South Africa’s pathway analysis found that implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems could reduce plastic leakage by 33–63% by 2040 .
These stories remind journalists that policy impacts are deeply contextual. Reporting on treaty outcomes is most relevant when telling national, community, and household stories.
Accountability Is a Beat, Not a Buzzword
Opportunities abound for investigative, analytical journalism:
- Track financing: Who is funding waste infrastructure? Is finance reaching informal workers?
- Expose external dumping: Are African countries becoming landfills for recycled or toxic plastics from abroad?
- Uncover corporate practices: Which companies are lobbying for weak provisions or pushing false solutions?
- Assess implementation: Are bans being enforced? Are plastic alternatives accessible?
By focusing on these angles, journalists can shift narratives from charity or doom to justice, solutions, and African agency.
Intrested participants can register at;http://(https://us06web.
Accountability Is a Beat, Not a Buzzword
The plastics treaty is more than an environmental text—it’s a test of global values, equity, and respect for African policy agency.
The July 24 webinar is a rare briefing that integrates scientific data, negotiation insight, and regional perspectives all in one platform.
For journalists, it is a chance to break beyond isolated pollution stories. It is an opportunity to expose structural injustice, build accountability beats, and advance public understanding at a crucial turning point.
Plastic is a symptom. Climate is the crisis. But African voices can define the story—if we grasp this moment.
The groundwork begins on July 24.
