Tunisia partakes in “critical” negotiations on plastic pollution

Tunis: Tunisia is currently partaking in the 4th Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment (INC-4), held on April 25-29 in Ottawa, Canada at the initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The Tunisian delegation, represented by the Environment Ministry, presented the "Declaration of Tunisia" on the first draft of International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment. In this declaration, Tunisia pointed to the importance of adopting a comprehensive approach that takes into account the entire life cycle of plastics (from the production of polymers and listed products to the management of plastic products and waste). Plastic pollution is a major threat to all environmental systems, human health, social and economic stability and climate change, given the carbon footprint it creates throughout the plastic life cycle. "Ar ab countries' representation in the Ottawa negotiations on plastic pollution is poor, despite the high levels of plastic pollution notably maritime and coastal in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which poses a major threat to the blue economy in the region. There is also no Arab group representing these states," Tunisian researcher and International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) activist Samia Gharbi told TAP. Although the negotiations are attended and followed by delegations from Arab countries (Egypt and Saudi Arabia), there is no Arab group that negotiates in a unified manner or discusses the provisions of the negotiations, unlike the African, Asian, EU and other groups, she indicated. The absence of an Arab group in the negotiations is remarkable, she added, especially as the region, whose blue economy is a key driver of economic growth, would benefit from reducing its plastic and carbon footprint, which is the highest in the world. The MENA region has the highest per capita plas tic footprint and an average MENA resident releases more than 6kg of plastic waste into the ocean every year. Today, the Mediterranean Sea is one of the world's plastic pollution hotspots, data published by the World Bank (WB) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) show. Plastic pollution continues to cost countries in the MENA region about 0.8% of the gross domestic product (GDP) each year despite efforts to raise awareness about the importance of improving plastic waste management methods and combating plastic pollution. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse