Towards a Pollution-Free Planet

07/12/2017

#environment #health #pollution #climate change #ocean #plastic # chemicals & waste #biodiversity #sustainable development #SDGs

  • The Third UN Environment Assembly (UNEA3)

The 3rd Meeting of the Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives to UN Environment Programme (OECPR-3) and the 3rd Session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-3) was held between 29 November and 6 December 2017 in UN Environment Programme Headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya. The overarching theme of UNEA-3 was 'Towards a Pollution-Free Planet,' with delegates and observers highlighting that the UN Environment #BeatPollution campaign had garnered nearly 2.5 million pledges from individuals across the world.

A Ministerial Declaration and 11 Resolutions were adopted, including e.g. on environment and health, water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution, mainstreaming biodiversity, as well as pollution prevention and control in areas affected by terrorist operations and armed conflicts.

The resolution on marine little and micro plastics, a hard won after a long negotiation, mandated the Ad Hoc Open Ended Expert Group meeting(s) to examine barriers and options for combating marine plastic litter and microplastics by identifying, inter alia: the range of national, regional, and innovative approaches, and voluntary and legally binding governance strategy and approaches; and environmental, social, and economic costs and benefits of different response options. We'll follow the future meetings on this topic.

For more detailed analysis of the outcome of UNEA3, please refer to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin webpage.