This year’s World Earth Day Celebration 2024, brought together world leaders in Ottawa, Canada, to combat one of the most severe environmental challenges: plastic pollution. The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) marked the start of a global push to secure a treaty addressing plastic pollution to create a plastic-free future.
The treaty’s scope is to reflect the requirements of Resolution 5/14 of the United Nations Environment Assembly, which includes eradicating plastic pollution throughout the whole life cycle of all plastics and addressing its effects on human health and the environment, particularly the marine environment. The instrument will encourage sustainable product design and eliminate the most hazardous and high-risk plastic categories, such as problematic polymers, chemicals of concern, items, and applications. It will raise overall plastic output to a sustainable level.
The Sierra Leone delegation, led by the Chief Director of the Environment Protection Agency Sierra Leone, Sheku M Kanneh, Edwin Baimba, Director of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Deputy Director of Legal Affairs, Compliance and Enforcement, Tamba Sangbah Esq, and the Senior Environmental Officer, Isha Timbo, will contribute to the discussion in developing a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of Plastic, including its production, design and disposal. Sierra Leone, like many developing nations, will be able to make a solid argument for favourable adoption into legislative instruments on issues such as technology transfer, capacity building, just transition, and funding mechanisms, among others.
Sierra Leone is on the verge of creating legislation on plastic pollution, particularly in the marine environment; this negotiation will help the delegate to have a better understanding of the international convention and guarantee that the national plastic legislation follows it. During the event, the Sierra Leone delegation will have the opportunity to meet with key partners; such as the Director General of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the focal point and founder of the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), and its implementing partners (International Union for Conservation of Nature and GRID-Arendal-Norway). These discussions will provide an opportunity to discuss prospective collaborations and support for government initiatives, instilling confidence and hope for a plastic-free future.
