Monaco takes part in 5th United Nations Environment Assembly as it commits to a world without plastic pollution

Alain Piquemal à la 5ème Assemblée des Nations Unies pour l'environnement ©DR

A delegation from the Principality led by Professor Alain Piquemal, Monaco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), recently took part in the debates of the organisation’s fifth Assembly.

In a historic step, more than 70 countries, including Monaco, submitted a resolution that was adopted by the Assembly on ending plastic pollution and developing a legally binding international agreement by 2024. The agreement covers the complete lifecycle of plastic, from source to sea. Monaco will contribute to the negotiations on what is set to be the most important international multilateral accord on the environment since the Paris Agreement on the climate.

Plastic production has increased exponentially in recent decades, rising to 400 million tonnes a year today, a figure that is expected to double by 2040.

In another highlight, along the lines of the IPCC for climate and IPBES for biodiversity, a new intergovernmental science and policy group will be set up to contribute to rational management of chemical products and waste in order to reduce the resulting pollution.

The United Nations Environment Programme, which is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, has once again demonstrated its role as a leader in global environmental governance.