Ruto calls for international cooperation in environmental conservation efforts

President William has urged for global cooperation in promoting sustainable waste management practices to protect the blue economy and its ecosystems.

The head of state underscored the crucial in promoting the adoption of the “reduce, reuse, and recycle” life cycle approaches in waste management.

Ruto spoke on Thursday during the opening of the 6th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) high-level segment and national statements session.

The President highlighted Kenya’s strides in combatting plastic pollution through the successful ban on single-use plastics, lauding the efficacy of such measures in safeguarding environmental sustainability.

He expressed Kenya’s commitment to advancing its environmental agenda through the implementation of the Green Economy Strategy and Implementation Plan, aimed at transitioning waste management towards a circular economy model.

“I urge the global community to advance towards a climateneutral, resource-efficient, and circular economy. We commend the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, for its role in the intergovernmental negotiations for the global plastic treaty,” said Ruto.

President Ruto advocated for Africa’s proposition to establish the treaty’s Secretariat within the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, citing the need for streamlined global environmental governance.

He argued that despite landmark agreements such as those reached at the Rio+20 conference, fragmentation within current governance structures hinders cohesive policy implementation, leading to inefficiencies and overlaps.

He further called upon the UN General Assembly to allocate substantial and reliable funding from its regular budget.

“I urge the UN General Assembly to secure new, substantial, and reliable funding from its regular budget to provide consistent and sustainable support for UNEP’s crucial work.”