Fiji, July 6 -- The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) says global efforts to tackle plastic pollution must include binding action to clean up existing waste, not just prevent future pollution.

As negotiations continue toward a global plastics treaty, AOSIS said this week's meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Nairobi showed "encouraging signs of convergence" - but not enough.

"For Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the plastic pollution crisis is not a future threat - it is a daily, escalating reality," the statement reads.

"Plastic waste continues to choke coastlines, damage ecosystems, threaten food security, and undermine blue economies across our regions. These impacts are not theoretical. They are me...