Mobilization of stakeholders, leaders and partners
Pollution is a multifaceted problem that requires the involvement of a variety of stakeholders, from governments to industry to non-governmental partners.
- Governments
- Financial sector
- Private sector
- Academia
- Local governments
- Regional forums
- South-South cooperation partnerships
Solutions
Involve the world financiers
Financial regulators and institutions have an important role to play in reducing the negative impacts of pollution. They can do this, for example, by taking pollution costs into account in financial decisions and supporting positive impacts. Risk analysis tools and techniques can help reorient financing away from companies and activities that pollute towards greener technologies.
The UNEP Finance Initiative Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative also works with life insurers on key topics such as air pollution and resistance to antibiotics.
In addition, UNEP, the International Council on Mining and Metals and the Principles of Responsible Investment convened a process that saw to the launch of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management. The Standard is directed at Operators and applies to tailings facilities, both existing and to-be-built. It makes clear that extreme consequences to people and the environment from catastrophic tailings facility failures are unacceptable. Operators must have zero tolerance for human fatalities and strive for zero harm to people and the environment from the earliest phases of project conception.
Regional processes and forums
Regional meetings of environment and health ministers are important opportunities to act on pollution and reach out to other ministerial departments and sectors. Actions to increase collaboration between health and environment ministries through for example, identification of joint priority areas, features in a number of joint health and environment initiatives given the significant impacts of pollution on human health and well-being.
Information on regional and sub-regional decision-making and cooperation can be found here:
Regional and sub-regional cooperation and political initiatives to tackle pollution:
- Bridgetown Declaration of the XXII Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean
- South East and Southern Europe platform to beat pollution
- Voluntary coalition for the progressive closure of dumpsites
Promoting the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment
The Global Commitment with Ellen MacArthur Foundation provides a framework for committing to and reporting on focus areas, to align action by governments and businesses to transition towards a circular economy for plastics.
A list of resources aiming to support Global Commitment's government signatories in delivering the commitments can be found here.