Day: Wednesday 19 May
Time: 1400-1500 CET
Zoom link: https://url.grida.no/3uGE7cf
There is a growing body of evidence showing the devastating impact of marine plastic pollution. Over the past couple of years, an increasing number of States have signalled that a new global agreement might be needed to effectively address the problem. With funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, GRID-Arendal has produced two reports on the topic plastic pollution and global governance.
“Inventory of Global and Regional Plastic Waste Initiative” (link available 19 May) provides an overview of 60 global and 37 regional plastic waste initiatives, and finds that most initiatives focus on the consequences rather than the source of the problem, target the last stage of the plastics life cycle and suffer from weak accountability and reporting.
An increasing number of States that have expressed an interest in exploring the option of a new global agreement on marine plastic pollution as a solution. In response, GRID-Arendal produced the report “Exploring the option of a New Global Agreement on Marine Plastic Pollution”. The purpose of the report is to contribute to the ongoing discussions by providing an overview of relevant events, policy gaps, resources, and frameworks, and to present options and questions on which states and other stakeholders might draw in their efforts to explore what a new treaty on marine plastic pollution could look like.
Programme for the launch:
Welcome by moderator Thomas Maes, Senior Scientist, GRID-Arendal
Presentation of “Inventory of Global and Regional Plastic Waste Initiative” by Ieva Rucevska, Senior Expert, waste and marine litter, GRID-Arendal
Presentation of “Exploring the option of a New Global Agreement on Marine Plastic Pollution” by Torbjørn Graff Hugo and Magnus Løvold
Panel discussion with:
Nicole Wienrich, Research Associate, IASS Potsdam
Terney Pradeep Kumara, General Manager, Marine Environmental Protection Authority, Sri Lanka
Asha Challenger, Lead Negotiator- Oceans: Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations
Dr Salieu Sankoh, Professor at the University Sierra Leone, UNEP AHEG representative
Closing remarks by Ingeborg Mork-Knutsen, Senior Advisor at the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment
Release date: 12 May 2021
