Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav Reaches Nairobi to Represent India at 5th UNEA
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav arrived at Nairobi on Wednesday to attend the special session of the 5th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). The UNEA commenced on Monday and will conclude on March 4 with a special session of the Environment Assembly to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP@50).
The session will be held on March 3 and 4 under the leadership of the Presidency and the Bureau of the sixth session of the Environment Assembly. “Arrived in Nairobi to attend Special Session of United Nations Environment Assembly.
“The Indian delegation will actively take part in building on and catalysing impact on multilateral environmental efforts to protect and restore the natural world on which our economies depend," Bhupender Yadav tweeted. Environment Secretary Leena Nandan had presented the national statement of India on Tuesday at the UNEA.
It stated that India is committed to addressing plastic pollution to reduce its adverse impact on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as well as human well-being. The secretary also said that sustainable development is core to the country’s development strategy.
“Proactive steps have been taken to mainstream the Sustainable Development Goals into policies, schemes and programmes of the government. “Our sustainable development policies cover many sectors such as renewable energy, sustainable mobility, sustainable habitats and many others," she said. According to the Environment Ministry, on February 27 three resolutions on plastic pollution were put forth by member states — Peru, Rwanda, Japan and India.
The two draft resolutions of Peru, Rwanda and Japan were based on the principle of a legally binding target, while the Indian one was based on the principle of immediate collective voluntary action by countries. To allow for global action to take place, India had agreed for setting up an intergovernmental negotiating committee for a new international legally binding treaty, a ministry official said.
The Indian delegation is engaged constructively in the negotiations, the official said.