13 November 2023, Nairobi Kenya - As negotiators from all over the world gather in Nairobi, Kenya, for the third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-3), Fiji has taken centre stage to remind them about the urgency of the task at the hand.
“Mr. Chair, as I speak there is a Category 2 cyclone closing in on our beloved homeland. Such natural disasters exacerbates the impacts of plastic pollution and increases the vulnerability of our people and our oceans,” said Fiji’s Ambassador Amena V. Yauvoli.
“We implore fellow members to just get on with our discussions and progress with an ambitious, effective and equitable Instrument to end plastic pollution once and for all and ensuring that none is left behind.”
Ambassador Yauvoli made the call on Monday at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, when he addressed the main plenary on the preparation of an international instrument to end plastic pollution.
“We stand firm in supporting resolution 5/14 to achieve the ultimate objective of ending plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, in order to protect human health and the environment. In order to achieve this, we need a robust instrument that is strong, comprehensive, specific, time-bound and measurable while clearly communicating the broad scope of the instrument, without re-writing or re-interpreting the legality of existing principles,” the Ambassador said.
Fiji is among Pacific delegations who have travelled far and wide to be in Nairobi, Kenya, to amplify the One Pacific Voice calling for an end to plastic pollution for a Cleaner Pacific. The third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC3) taking place in Nairobi is the latest critical step of a journey that started Punta del Este, Uruguay (INC1) and Paris (INC2) where the mandate was delivered for the INC Chair to prepare a zero draft of the agreement. The One Pacific Voice has been a key part of the journey.
In Nairobi, Ambassador Yauvoli reiterated that the objective of a plastics treaty should cover the full lifespan of plastics from extraction and production to its end-of-life management, taking into account the disproportionate impacts of plastic pollution on Small Islands Developing States (SIDS). The proposed instrument should also cover the reduction of primary plastic polymer production, polymers and chemicals of concern and problematic and avoidable plastic polymers.
“Fiji supports a dedicated multilateral fund as a means to provide adequate and stable financial and technical assistance {potentially modelled on the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol} and existing financing mechanisms should be leveraged, such as the GEF – possibly through a dedicated window,” said Ambassador Yauvoli.
“Fiji like all other PSIDs are net importers of plastics. We are on the receiving end and so is our ‘moana’, the ocean that we so crucially depend on for our survival. The convenience obtained by utilizing plastics does not justify large-scale and nearly irreparable contamination of the Pacific Ocean, its natural resources, the costs to the health of our people now and for generations to come.
“Often these costs exceed the market value of plastics and include the cost of loss of ecosystem services, greenhouse gas emissions, human health costs and waste (mis)management costs.
“Fiji firmly believes that the instrument should recognise and consider diverse value systems and concepts, including the rights of nature and the land [Vanua]. In Fiji, our [Vanua] land relates to the interconnectedness to the foundations of life on earth and includes the natural terrain, local flora and fauna, rivers, mountains and much more. Plastic pollution is straining the connection we have to our land [Vanua].”
The third Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment is taking place in Nairobi Kenya from 13 - 19 November 2023.
The Pacific Islands are represented by the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu through the support of the Government of Australia and the United Nations.
They are supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), working with partners the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, Environmental Investigation Agency, Centre for International Environmental Law, University of Wollongong, WWF and Massey University.
For more information on INC-3, visit: https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution/session-3
Photo credit: Ambassador Yauvoli, Fiji - INC3 - 13Nov2023 - Photo