By Checky Abuje
The Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the Kenya Mission to United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) H.E Ambassador Ababu Namwamba, EGH, has called for fast-tracking efforts toward an ambitious global treaty to end plastic pollution.
Speaking at a recent meeting, Ambassador Namwamba said the world remained “very far” from reaching a final agreement.
“Plastic pollution is not waiting — it is spiraling out of control,” he warned, noting that an estimated 7 billion tonnes of plastic waste already pollute the environment and that 430 million tonnes of plastic products are produced each year, many without proper take-back schemes. He stressed that the treaty under negotiation is an environmental instrument with the potential to drive ecosystem restoration, conserve biodiversity, and reduce health risks.
The Ambassador called for consensus on the treaty’s “essential elements” to ensure it is inclusive, ambitious, effective, and implementable. He voiced concern that Kenya’s proposals on Article 21, particularly regarding the treaty’s secretariat, had not been reflected in the latest draft text and urged the chair to reinstate them for further consideration.
He cited the Rio+20 “Future We Want” outcome document and the UN@80 initiative, which seeks to streamline operations and bring services closer to people, as frameworks that support this proposal.
“Kenya has, and will remain, constructive in these negotiations,” Ambassador Namwamba affirmed. “Let us seize this moment to deliver a treaty that will help the world manage plastic pollution.”