Kenya has ratified the amended Nairobi Convention and the Protocol for the Protection of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Western Indian Ocean from Land-Based Sources and Activities and is completing the process of depositing the document and communicating it to the Convention.
Speaking during the 11th session of the Conference of Parties to the Nairobi Convention (COP11) in Ivato, Antananarivo, Madagascar, Environment Principal Secretary Dr. Festus Ng’eno said Kenya is actively participating in the intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop an internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
This including the marine environment, aligning it with the African Group of Negotiators’ position.
“Kenya emphasises the gravity of primary plastic polymers and urges contracting parties to exercise extreme flexibility in negotiating. The treaty should prioritise interventions related to prevention, reduction, and working towards eliminating plastic pollution.” He said.
On the biodiversity front, our country is also aligning its National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and setting national targets, including marine and coastal biodiversity.
The meeting was attended by Elizabeth Mrema (Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Max Andonirina Fontaine (Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Republic of Madagascar), as well as ministers from the Republic of Mauritius, the Seychelles, and Somalia, among other delegates.
