Gender equity and social inclusion By amplifying the voices of women and marginalized groups powering local change, GPAP treats inclusion as essential to building durable, system-wide solutions. A renewed collaboration with the United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is scaling this agenda through the Inclusive Plastic Action Programme 2025, which channels recognition and support to community innovators in Asia, Africa and Latin America. A key milestone was the announcement of the 10 Champions of the 2025 cohort during the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2025 in New York spotlighting achievable, people-first models for circularity. Through stories and partnerships, GPAP continues to highlight human-centred paths to solving plastic pollution. A German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)–GPAP blog explored why uplifting people is key to addressing the plastics crisis, while the story of Amiyna illustrated how inclusion transforms livelihoods and community resilience. The short documentary Invisible Warriors celebrated the often-unseen women driving Viet Nam’s national plastic action. Together with its partners, GPAP is embedding GESI in national roadmaps, investments and storytelling, transforming inclusion into measurable, sustainable action by means of dedicated GESI assessments. To date, seven GESI assessments have been published for Ghana, Indonesia, Viet Nam, Maharashtra state (India), Nigeria, Pakistan and Peru. Recognizing the vital role of young people in shaping a sustainable future, GPAP also deepened its engagement with youth through an expanded collaboration with the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers community. Together, we co-hosted a session at their annual summit and celebrated effective youth-led initiatives against plastic pollution. GPAP also joined the community’s monthly LinkedIn Show to discuss the outcomes from INC-5.2 and explore opportunities to strengthen youth leadership across its national partnerships. The African Women Power (AWP) Network is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to empower the informal sector across Nigeria. Without funding support from the Global Plastic Action Partnership and UK, the EcoAction Summit would not be possible. Mary Olushoga, President and Founder, AWP NetworkGPAP continued to champion its gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) work, keeping the human dimension of plastic pollution front and centre. Learn more about our work on inclusion VIDEO Invisible Warriors 20,413 people have benefited from the Inclusive Plastic Action Programme to date. Unlocking Plastic Action for Inclusion, Resilience and Growth: GPAP Annual Report 2025 13

Unlocking Plastic Action for Inclusion Resilience and Growth GPAP Annual Report 2025