SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting

Why in news?

• Recently, India participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting which was  held in Astana, Kazakhstan,

Key Outcomes of Meeting 

• The SCO Defence Ministers agreed to develop the idea of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, rooted in the ancientIndian philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.
• India reiterated its steadfast commitment toward maintaining peace, stability, and security in the SCO region.
• India emphasised the need to adopt a zero-tolerance approach toward terrorismin all its forms for the prosperity and development of the SCO Member States.
  • India highlighted its long-standing proposal for a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the United Nations.
• India also underscored the concept of ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)’, proposed by India for the Indo-Pacific.

About  Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO )

• It is a permanent intergovernmental international organization established on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai (PRC) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
  • Its predecessor was the mechanism of the Shanghai Five.
• Composition : Currently, the SCO countries includes: 9 Member States — the Republic of India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan.
• The official languages of the SCO areRussian and Chinese.
• The Organization has 2 standing bodies —the Secretariat in Beijing and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent. 
• The goals of the SCO are:
  • To strengthen mutual trust, friendship and good-neighbourliness between the Member States;
  • To encourage the effective cooperation between the Member States in such spheres as politics, trade, economy, science and technology, culture, education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, etc;
  • To jointly ensure and maintain peace, security and stability in the region; and
  • To promote a new democratic, fair and rational international political and economic international order.
• International Collaborations : The SCO has established partnerships with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), UNESCO,  , the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Tourism Organization (WTO),

India and SCO 

• India has been actively participating in SCO and providing substantial support to various mechanisms in the forum.
  • Since its accession as a full – fledged Member State in 2017, India has maintained an active engagement with the organisation.
• India is focusing on initiating proposals for mutual benefit of SCO Member States, Observers and Dialogue Partners.
• The SCO offers India the chance to safeguard, advance, and showcase its geostrategic and geoeconomic pursuits in the Central Asian and South Asian regions.
  • India used the SCO as a platform to secure its northern border from Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism.
• During the 2023 presidency, India took a strong stance to promote new areas of development, including startups and innovation, traditional medicine, digital inclusion, youth empowerment, and the shared Buddhist heritage among most of the SCO member states.
  • India established two new mechanisms—the Special Working Group on Startups and Innovation and the Expert Working Group on Traditional Medicine—significantly demonstrating New Delhi’s dedication to contributing to regional economic and social transformations.
  • The Summit adopted the ‘SECURE’ SCO theme, where S stands for security of citizens; E for economic development for all; C for connecting the region; U for uniting the people; R for respect for sovereignty and integrity; and E for environmental protection.
• India’s demand for “an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled” peace process received support from all SCO Central Asian members and Russia.
  • The agreements on counterterrorism, security cooperation, and defence between India and the Central Asian Republics further demonstrated the significant progress made by New Delhi through the SCO.
• TheChinese BRI projects have created a debt crisis and violated the sovereignty and integrity of SCO countries.
• To overcome the China-Pakistan axis, New Delhi invested in Chabahar Port and the 7,200-km long International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
  • These connectivity initiatives led by New Delhi are consultive, transparent, economical, and reliable.

Need of Global Plastics Treaty

Why in news?

• Negotiators and observers from 175 countries arrived in Ottawa, Canada, to begin talks regarding the very first global treaty to curb plastics pollution.

Background

• Under the UN Environment AssemblyResolution 5/14, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) is responsible for delivering a global plastics treaty by the end of 2024.
• The INC began its work during the second half of 2022. It is the fourth round of negotiations and the final round will take place in South Korea.

Concerns of Plastic Pollution

• Plastics are hard to eradicate due to their slow decomposition ratein natural ecosystems.
• Plastics break down into their smaller units called microplastics,which find their way across the planet, from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the heights of the Himalayas.
• BPA or Bisphenol A, the chemical which is used to harden the plastic contaminates food and drinks, causing alterations in liver function, fetal development in pregnant women, the reproductive system and brain function.
• Plastic, which is a petroleum product, also contributes to global warming. If plastic waste is incinerated, it releases toxic fumes and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• Plastic waste damages the aesthetic value of tourist destinations,leading to decreased tourism-related incomes and major economic costs related to the cleaning and maintenance of the sites.

Why is a global plastics treaty needed?

• Plastic production increased from just 2 million tonnes in 1950 to more than 450 million tonnes in 2019. If left unchecked, the production is slated to double by 2050, and triple by 2060.
• As plastic takes anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose, and less than 10% has been recycled till now. According to a 2023 study published by The Lancet  nearly 6 billion tonnes now pollute the planet
• About 400 million tonnes of plastic waste is generated annually, a figure expected to jump by 62% between 2024 and 2050.
• According to a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in 2019, plastics generated 8 billion tonnesof GHG emissions — 3.4% of global emissions.
  • Roughly90% of these emissions come from plastic production.

Global Efforts in Tackling Plastic Waste

• London Convention:The 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter.
• Clean Seas Campaign:The United Nations Environment Programme launched the Campaign in  It became the largest global campaign to raise awareness on plastic pollution and marine litter.
• Basel Convention: In 2019, the Basel Convention was amended to include plastic waste as a regulated material.
  • The Convention contains three main entries on plastic wastes in Annex II, VIII and IX of the Convention. The Plastic Waste Amendments of the convention are now binding on 186 States. 

India’s Efforts in Tackling Plastic Waste

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):The Indian government has implemented EPR, making plastic manufacturers responsible for managing and disposing of the waste generated by their products.
• Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022: It prohibits manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of plastic carry bags having thickness less than 120 microns.
• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:It is a national cleanliness campaign, which includes the collection and disposal of plastic waste.
• Plastic Parks:India has set up Plastic Parks, which are specialized industrial zones for recycling and processing plastic waste.
• Beach clean-up drives: The Indian government and various non-governmental organizations have organized beach clean-up drives to collect and dispose of plastic waste from beaches.

Challenges to the treaty

• Some of the biggest oil and gas-producing countries, as well as fossil fuel and chemical industry groups are trying to narrow the scope of the treaty to focus just on plastic waste and recycling.
  • Countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran have opposed plastic production caps, and are using myriad delay tactics (like arguing over procedural matters) to derail constructive dialogues.
• Countries are yet to decide if the plastics  treaty would be agreed upon by consensus or through a majority vote
• There is a coalition of around 65 nations, known as the “High-Ambition Coalition”which seeks to tackle plastic production.
  • The US has not joined the HAC as it is a fossil gas country.

Way Ahead

• The proposed treaty will be the most important environmental accord since the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, in which nations agreed to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• The treaty can theoretically lay out guidelines on how rich nations should help poorer ones meet their plastic reduction target.
• It may also ban “particular types of plastic, plastic products, and chemical additives used in plastics, and set legally binding targets for recycling and recycled content used in consumer goods.