Ministerial Conference on Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution

With the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the governments of Ecuador, Germany, Ghana and Vietnam jointly organised the first of its kind, “Ministerial Conference on Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution” aimed at tackling the growing issue of marine litter and plastic pollution, specifically through mandates set out in UNEA 3/7 and 4/6 that deal specifically with Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics. The conference took place from 1-2 September, 2021 in a hybrid format, with some participants attending in-person at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and others online. Ahead of this conference, two preparatory meetings were held virtually from 27-28 May and 28-29 June, 2021 which allowed for informal discussions on the main thematic work streams of this envisioned global agreement.

Preceding the September meeting a Ministerial Statement was drafted by the co-conveners of the conference, calling for UNEA to establish an intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC) heading into the resumption of the 5th session of the UN Environmental Assembly (UNEA 5.2) in February 2022; with the INC having a mandate to develop a global instrument/agreement to combat marine litter and plastic pollution.

With an aim of building on the momentum of the ongoing international discussions and making more concrete statements, the conference provided for a consultative process of the revised Ministerial Statement, whereby countries, non-governmental organizations and even private sector entities shared reflections on both the document and the proposed global agreement. During the conference it was reported that twenty-five country endorsements were garnered.

Attending virtually, Trinidad and Tobago’s delegation comprised of Ms. Keima Gardiner, Waste Management Specialist and Ms. Tushara Maharaj, Environmental Engineering Specialist from the Ministry of Planning and Development, alongside Mrs. Wendy Nelson, Senior Research Officer/ Chemist at the Institute of Marine Affairs. With the upcoming UNEA 5.2, this delegation has since provided recommendations regarding the development of a global agreement highlighting key elements to consider such as addressing marine litter and plastic pollution prevention and reduction; National and regional cooperation and coordination; financial and technical support; and data collection, monitoring and reporting.