The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on ending plastic pollution has begun discussions at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), with over 2500 delegates and representatives convening in Kenya for the negotiations.
Plastic pollution poses a significant threat to the planet, human health, and the future, emphasizing the need for collective action to address this escalating crisis.
Both the global south and north are urged to work together to control the plastic menace, which impacts marine and human life.
Globally, over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually, with up to 23 million tonnes ending up in water bodies such as rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans. Unfortunately, only 10% of plastics are recycled, while 46% are dumped in landfills, 22% become litter, and 17% are incinerated.
In 2022, UNEP reached an agreement with 170 member countries to negotiate a globally binding instrument to end plastic pollution across the entire lifecycle, from design to disposal. The historic resolution 5/14 was adopted to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, with the goal of completing negotiations by the end of 2024.
The discussions will begin with the interpretation of the ‘Zero draft’ text of the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including the marine environment. Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary of the INC Secretariat, urged delegates to swiftly move forward to achieve a new treaty by the end of 2024, emphasizing the urgency and necessity of the matter.
Kenya in addition to hosting UNEP has demonstrated its commitment to ending plastic pollution by banning the manufacture and use of polythene bags in 2017, followed by the ban on single-use plastics in protected areas such as game parks, forests, and beaches.
According to President William Ruto, Kenya has clearly embraced the End Plastics Pollution Initiative as evidenced by the ban on the manufacture and use of polythene bags in 2017, followed by the ban on single-use plastics in protected areas like game parks, forests, and beaches.
“Kenya enacted the sustainable Waste Management Act in July 2022 which placed Kenya as the first country in the globe subjecting all products to extended producer responsibility. We know this is just the beginning and we are ready to partake of our roles in ending plastic pollution,” said President Ruto during the opening of INC discussions at UNEP.
President Ruto while speaking at UNEP requested the Committee to endorse Kenya’s bid to host the future treaty secretariat, emphasizing the importance of delivering an effective instrument to address plastic pollution, as “this treaty is the first domino” in the change needed.
He drew inspiration from the late Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, who believed in the power of one small action to bring about change, likening it to the role of the Hummingbird in stopping a forest fire.
