Addis Ababa: To Address Plastic Pollution, Morocco Calls for Better Regional & Global Cooperation

Morocco has called for stronger regional and international cooperation to counter plastic pollution, one of the major global concerns affecting the environment and every walk of life.

In her speech Friday in Addis Ababa at the 19th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, Moroccan minister of Energy Transition & Sustainable Development Leila Benali voiced her country’s commitment to continue supporting international and regional efforts to combat plastic pollution which threatens ecosystems, animal & plant species, food safety and quality.

Africa produces only 5% of the world’s plastic and consumes 4%. Yet, the Continent has suffered the consequences, deplored Ms. Benali, warning that if appropriate measures are not taken, the production and consumption of plastic is expected to increase globally and in Africa in the decades to come.

Faced with this challenge, the international community has committed to launch negotiations for the adoption of a legally binding international agreement by 2024 on plastic pollution within the framework of the UN Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), said the minister.

She stressed the need for a regional African plan which will take into consideration the needs and specificities of Africa and set guidelines for a better management of plastic waste and a transition towards a circular economy in Africa, while contributing job creation and economic development in line with 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the 2063 agenda.

The Addis Ababa meeting, which opened works Tuesday, is discussing ways of enhancing cooperation to counter environmental challenges in the continent.

The four-day gathering is opportunity to strengthen Africa’s collective engagement in the global environmental agenda, sustainable development of the continent and the upcoming COP28 due in Dubai (30 Nov-12 Dec.)