The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Côte d’Ivoire have announced that the West African country will host World Environment Day 2023 on June 5 with a focus on solutions to plastic pollution.
The United Nations General Assembly founded World Environment Day in 1972 and this year is the event’s 50th anniversary. The day has expanded over the past 50 years to become one of the biggest international forums for environmental advocacy.
Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Jean-Luc Assi, said that the scourge of plastic pollution is a visible threat that impacts every community around the world.
“As host of World Environment Day 2023, we welcome all sectors, from governments and businesses to civil society, to come together to find and champion solutions,”.
According to reports, Côte d’Ivoire has banned the use of plastic bags since 2014 in order to promote the usage of reusable packaging. Abidjan, the largest city in the nation, has developed into a centre for start-ups fighting plastic waste.
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The Government of the Netherlands, one of the nations adopting ambitious action along the plastic lifecycle, will support World Environment Day this year. It has signed the Global Commitment on the New Plastics Economy and is a participant in the Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter. It also participates in the High Ambition Coalition, which advocates for a robust and ambitious worldwide legal framework to address plastic pollution.
Declaring the country’s support, Netherlands’ Minister for the Environment, Vivianne Heijnen, said “Plastic pollution and its detrimental impacts on health, the economy and the environment cannot be ignored. Urgent action is required. At the same time, we need true, effective and robust solutions.”
“As part of several policies aimed at plastics, The Netherlands and the European community at large are fully committed to reducing the production and consumption of single-use plastic, which can and must be replaced with durable and sustainable alternatives,” she added.
UNEP’s Executive Director, Inger Andersen, stressed that there was the need to seize every opportunity and engage with every stakeholder to deal with the plastics problem in its entirety.
She said, “Côte d’Ivoire and the Netherlands are among a number of countries rising to this challenge and embracing the benefits of a circular plastics economy. The commemoration of the 50th World Environment Day is a moment for all governments, businesses, community groups, and individuals to join this drive.”
The campaign for World Environment Day 2023 will use the hashtag and slogan #BeatPlasticPollution.
Story was adapted from EnviroNews.
