High-Level Event on Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics

Tuesday, 4 September 2018, 19.00 - 21.30
Room XI, Palais des Nations

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen:

A warm welcome to the Palais! Let me first of all thank the Secretariat of the Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions as well as the governments of Indonesia, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Uruguay for bringing this important discussion to Geneva. It’s an impressive list of countries and exactly the kind of broad-based cooperation that we need to meaningfully tackle the issue in focus tonight: marine plastic litter.

Another, less technical way of describing the issue at stake would be this: the man-made destruction of our oceans, lakes and rivers - destruction through negligence, carelessness, and short-termism. Destruction through countless every-day actions you barely even notice - from the plastic bottle you just bought to the plastic bag you took to carry your groceries.

Accumulated, these actions combine to cause immense harm: Every year, more than 8 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the oceans. Microplastics in the seas now outnumber stars in our galaxy. From remote islands to the Arctic to the shores of Lake Geneva, no place is untouched. Unless we change course, our oceans will have more plastic than fish by 2050.

Water sustains all life on Earth, but its importance for us is matched only by our disregard for its well-being.

When talking about such existential threats, it can sometimes feel overwhelming; it can feel as if there is nothing of consequence we can really do. Our stance needs to be different: We created these problems. Together, we can solve them.

And with Sustainable Development Goal 14, the Goal of the Oceans, we have a clear path and tangible targets.

But the qualification “together” is key here: tackling marine plastic litter is a quintessential multilateral task. After all, it means little if one country takes long-term action, only for another to undercut it all in pursuit of misguided short-term economic gain.

Which is why the essential first step is ending the artificial dichotomy between economic demands and the health of our seas.

Second, we need to promote strong political leadership and new partnerships.

And third, we must share best practices and experiences. Most solutions are local, but many have broader relevance.

For all of the above - cooperation and partnerships, best practices and leadership - you have come to the right place.

It is right here in Geneva that the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions plays a critical role in our fight against pollution and waste - including the waste that ends up in our oceans. The Secretariat is a great example of the power of integration: by sharing expertise and experience and strengthening synergies, the close cooperation between the Conventions over these past years is a success story from which others can learn.

And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this happened right here in Geneva. Because integration and cooperation is what Geneva is all about. Virtually every day and on every issue, the unique ecosystem of actors here - from international organisations and member state representatives, to civil society and the private sector - opens up new avenues for collaboration. Just this summer, over 1,000 volunteers helped collect over 4 tons of rubbish from our lake.

Your panel discussion tonight is very much part of our effort to create a cleaner, greener world. I wish you much success and a fruitful debate.

Thank you again for coming together this evening.