New Delhi: Fresh uncertainty has emerged around global efforts to tackle plastic pollution after Norway temporarily paused funding to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) ahead of the agency’s revised budget discussions scheduled for May 12.
The move has raised concerns among environmental groups and member states, particularly because UNEP is overseeing the ongoing negotiations for a global plastics treaty. Countries have been attempting since 2022 to reach an agreement on reducing plastic pollution, but six rounds of negotiations have failed to deliver a final deal.
According to guardian.com, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen recently held discussions with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), where she was informed that all funding agreements were being placed on hold pending budget-related decisions.
Norway has been one of UNEP’s biggest financial contributors in recent years. The country contributed nearly USD 12 million annually to UNEP’s environment fund between 2023 and 2025. In 2025 alone, Norway also provided around USD 19 million to the Planetary Fund and an additional USD 7.8 million in earmarked funding.
The temporary funding freeze has sparked concerns over the future functioning of UNEP at a time when the broader United Nations system is already facing financial strain.
Separately, an email obtained by media outlets showed that Norad had informed non-governmental organisations about the postponement of a funding call aimed at supporting projects combating plastic pollution in developing nations.
The programme, valued at around GBP 4 million to GBP 6 million annually, was expected to support countries participating in the plastic treaty negotiations.
Christina Dixon, Ocean Campaign Leader at the Environmental Investigation Agency, warned that uncertainty over funding had come at a critical stage for the negotiations. She said continued financial support would strengthen Norway’s long-standing role in pushing for an ambitious global plastics agreement.
Norway, along with Rwanda, currently co-leads the High Ambition Coalition in the treaty discussions. The coalition has been advocating for a legally binding agreement covering the full lifecycle of plastics, including production and waste management.
The coalition has continued to advocate stronger international rules on plastics, although some fossil fuel-producing countries have supported a softer framework focused more on waste management than production cuts.
The treaty process has already faced multiple setbacks. Last year, the chair overseeing the negotiations stepped down unexpectedly following a stalled round of talks that ended without major progress after nearly three years of discussions.
A new chair has since been appointed, and negotiations are expected to resume in early 2027.
Karen Landmark, Managing Director of the Norwegian environmental foundation GRID-Arendal, expressed concern that the funding pause could weaken momentum in the talks. She said the development might encourage some countries to lower their level of ambition during future negotiations.
