Some countries complained final Ministerial Declaration doesn’t explicitly call for expedited reaching of the much anticipated legally binding agreement on ending plastic pollution
The Sixth United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA-6) ended on March 1, 2024 with delegates expressing optimism that firm action on curbing the plastic menace would soon become a reality, and that countries will stay on track in implementing principles of the Paris Agreement.
Delegations that spoke on the final Ministerial Declaration issued at the end of the event expressed regrets that the document was not emphatic on the urgency of actions needed to end the plastic crisis, and on the need to stay on track in implementing the Paris Agreement.
Representatives of countries including Mexico, Colombia, Switzerland and Senegal poked holes in the ministerial statement, for not explicitly calling for expedited reaching of the much anticipated legally binding agreement on ending plastic pollution.
On the other hand, countries including India, Egypt, the United States and Japan observed that the 21-point document did not go far enough in affirming the place of the Paris pact, in calling for actions to save the planet from the triple threat of climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution.
The five-page statement on effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, among others reaffirmed “all the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, as well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals”.
It further acknowledged with “a sense of great urgency” the threats posed to sustainable development by global environmental challenges and crises, including climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, as well as desertification, land and soil degradation, drought and deforestation.
“We emphasise the importance of advancing integrated, science-based approaches, informed by the best available science, and the traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities, in order to strengthen resilience to current, emerging and future challenges and promote global solidarity”. “We recall General Assembly resolution 76 / 300 of July 28, 2022 on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment,” the ministers stated in part four of the statement.
The assembly passed a record 15 resolutions and two decisions, as proposed by various delegations, with some being hailed as very critical, while others were viewed as important and timely.
Among them is one sponsored by Ukraine, calling for “environmental assistance and recovery in areas affected by armed conflicts”, which was endorsed despite being introduced on February 29. The country is involved in armed conflict with Russia, and has been exposed to risks including that of nuclear accidents by the two-year-long fighting.
On its part, Saudi Arabia sponsored one calling for “strengthening international efforts to combat desertification and land degradation, restore degraded land, promote land conservation and sustainable land management, contribute to land degradation neutrality and enhance drought resilience”.
Others included resolutions on considering environmental aspects of minerals and metals, the call for circularity of a resilient and low-carbon sugarcane agro-industry, promoting sustainable lifestyles, appeal for action on sound management of chemicals and waste, action on highly hazardous pesticides sponsored by Ethiopia, and call for action for combating sand and dust storms by Iran.
Also passed by the assembly is a resolution supported by Costa Rica, calling for “effective and inclusive solutions for strengthening water policies to achieve sustainable development in the context of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution”, and a related one calling for “strengthening ocean efforts to tackle climate change, marine biodiversity loss and pollution”.
Others largely emphasised on the importance of Multilateralism and Environmental Agreements, and the need for multilateralism in finding solutions for the climate crisis.
According to UNEA-6 President Leila Benali, while all resolutions were important, what mattered was follow-up actions to actualise the decisions.
The resolutions she noted among others went a long way in addressing “silent killers” such as sand and dust storms, as well those touching on air and water, said Morocco’s minister for energy transition and sustainable development.
“All resolutions are important as a package and we are happy that we are leaving Nairobi with a more focused and stronger mandate for UNEP . We are also happy that we have seen a stronger science-policy interface emerging from these deliberations,” she said.
Decisions arrived at the assembly are “most often” followed by actions and UNEP and member states will initiate actions based on the resolutions, assured Inger Anderson, UNEP’s executive-director.
Commenting on a resolution calling for environmental assistance and recovery in areas affected by armed conflict, by Ukraine the director noted that the UN agency had conducted over 25 assessments of such environments in the past including in the war ravaged Gaza strip in Palestine.
Meanwhile, the assembly has elected Abdullah Bin Ali Amri, chairperson of the Environment Authority of Oman, as the president of Seventh Session of the United Nations Environmental Assembly, taking over from Benali.
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