Kenya’s President William Ruto urged negotiators to expedite discussions and reach an agreement on the world’s inaugural treaty to address plastic pollution, speaking at the commencement of talks in Nairobi on Monday.
The global production of plastic waste amounts to approximately 400 million metric tonnes annually, with the UN Environment Programme reporting that less than 10% of it is recycled.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature reveals that a minimum of 14 million metric tonnes of plastic ends up in the ocean each year, with additional accumulation in landfills.
Delegates from around the world, convening in the Kenyan capital for the third round of talks, will deliberate on a list of potential measures to be incorporated into the treaty.
“I urge all the negotiators to recall that 2024 is only six weeks away and (there) are only two other meetings to go,” Ruto said at the opening of the talks.
In March 2022, governments reached a consensus to formulate a treaty addressing the control of plastic pollution by the end of the following year.
In Nairobi, delegates will engage in negotiations regarding whether to adhere to their comprehensive mandate of addressing the entire life cycle of plastics, including production, or to prioritize plastic waste management.
Kenya is among those advocating for a robust, binding agreement concerning the production and utilization of plastics. The country has implemented various laws, including bans on specific uses of plastics like shopping bags, since 2017.
“We must change the way we consume, the way we produce and how we dispose our waste,” Ruto said.
“Change is inevitable. This instrument that we are working on, is the first domino in that change. Let us bring it home,” he said.
The plastic industry and oil and petrochemical exporters, such as Saudi Arabia, resist limitations on plastic use. They contend that the global agreement should focus on promoting enhanced recycling and the reuse of plastic.
“The vast majority of countries are eager to advance the negotiations to get the job done,” stated Pamela Miller, Co-Chair of the International Pollutants Elimination Network, a global public interest organization.
“On the other hand a small group of like-minded countries of mainly major fossil fuel, petrochemical and plastic exporters like Saudi Arabia and Russia, are actively attempting to take us backwards.”
