Kigali, 24 August 2022 (TDI): The Governments of Rwanda and Norway have jointly launched a High Ambition Coalition to end plastic pollution.
Norway and Rwanda will chair a new 20-country coalition in this context. The objective of the coalition is to end plastic pollution by 2040. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) lauded the initiative.
👏 We applaud the governments of Norway🇳🇴 & Rwanda🇷🇼 for launching the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution today. This Coalition will work to create a plastics treaty that will #EndPlasticPollution by 2040.
Learn more here ➡️ https://t.co/UWv7SEkWFC https://t.co/OMlJ6gb92w
— UN Environment Programme New York (@UNEP_NYO) August 24, 2022
The formation of the coalition comes just a few months ahead of the first meeting of the intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, set for 28th November to 2nd December 2022. It will finalize a global and legally binding treaty aimed at ending plastic pollution.
The initiative comes after the historic (UNEA) 5.2 resolution passed in 2022. It started the negotiations of an internationally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.
Global Strategic Goals
One of the goals of this joint coalition is to restrain plastic consumption and production to sustainable levels. It enables able a circular economy for plastics that protect the environment and human health.
Moreover, the achievement of environmentally sound management and recycling of plastic waste is also under consideration.
Minister of Climate and Environment of Norway and co-Chair of the coalition, Espen Barth Eide said “We took initiative to form a group of ambitious countries to work for a truly effective global treaty that will establish common global rules, turn off the tap and end plastic pollution by 2040”.
Rwanda’s Minister of Environment and co-Chair of the coalition, Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya said that Rwanda started the journey to end plastic pollution by 2004. However, she said, unfortunately, plastic wastes are still visible downstream.
Governments in Africa and around the world must recognize that this is an opportunity to stem the tide of a global crisis.
Members of the High Ambition coalition are meeting in New York in a few weeks, during the UN General Assembly. They will discuss the next steps in the coalition’s work.
