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United Nations Environment Programme
  • Overview
  • Key Takeaways
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Details

Date: Wednesday, 20 November 2024

Time: 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm EAT | Registration link

Background Note

Plastic pollution, especially in the marine environment, has become a global crisis, affecting ecosystems and communities. In response, the international community, through the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), is developing a legally binding instrument to address plastic pollution. 

The fifth session of the INC (INC-5) will be held in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 25 November to 1 December 2024, with the goal of finalising and approving the text of this crucial instrument.

This webinar is organised by the UNEP Faith for Earth Coalition to engage faith-based organisations (FBOs) in the lead-up to INC-5, emphasising the importance of ethical stewardship and social justice in the global fight against plastic pollution. This webinar aims to provide participants with an overview of the INC process, focusing on the key objectives of INC-5 and the role FBOs can play in advocating for a fair and effective agreement. Faith-based perspectives will be explored, particularly regarding environmental justice and the human rights implications of plastic pollution. The webinar also seeks to equip FBOs with strategies for advocacy, fostering collaboration and encouraging engagement with policymakers during and after INC-5.

By participating in this webinar, FBOs will gain insights into the INC-5 negotiations, understand the stakes involved, and learn how to contribute meaningfully to the outcomes of the session, ensuring that the voices of vulnerable communities and ethical considerations are integrated into the final instrument. The webinar will be held virtually on November 20, 2024, and will serve as a critical platform for FBOs to unite in advocating for a more just and sustainable future.

Resources

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From the Speakers

Azmaira Alibhai, Faith for Earth Coalition, UNEP

Luying Wang,  Faith for Earth Coalition, UNEP

  • Emphasized the objectives of the Interfaith Working Group on Pollution
    • Share interreligious and intercultural best practices.
    • Advocate for legally binding instruments on plastic pollution at the global level.
    • Mobilise communities for action.
    • Influence policymakers to represent vulnerable voices in decision-making.  
  • Shared key resources:

Lucy Tanner, Tearfund

  • Shared an overview of the INC process going back to UNEA 5.2 (2022)
  • Tearfunds advocacy with NGOs at the INC: successful actions, hopes, fears

Rev. Dr. Rachel Mash, Green Anglicans & ACEN

  • Important areas of work include: behaviour change, extended producer responsibility, just transition, decent work for waste pickers, circularity.
  • South Africa Council of Churches Climate Commision Year plan 2025
    • Waste Management Awareness
    • World Environment Day services: Prayers and Sermon on Waste
    • Inter-church clean ups and restoration
    • Advocacy around Plastic Treaty

Kamran Shezad, The Bahu Trust UK

  • Impart the urgency of the triple planetary crisis on local communities.
  • Engage and inspire dedication through community clean-ups, workshops, sharing environmental and spiritual teachings and enhancing environmental education.

Gopal Patel and Andrew Schwartz, Future Faith

  • Shared the Multifaith Statement
  • Emphasis on the last paragraph: "We urge negotiators to act with courage and compassion, and to recognize the power of partnership with civil society in achieving lasting change. The future of our planet, and the dignity of all life, rests in their hands. Let us seize this moment to foster a healthier, more just world for generations to come, rooted in our collective responsibility and shared values."

During the webinar, participants shared the following suggestions aiming to inform the Working Groups Action Plan:

  • Enhance education and awareness of priorities through capacity-building and knowledge sharing.
  • Need for specific solutions for the network to engage with at all levels.
  • Discuss circular economy approaches.
  • Investigate how faith actors (faith leaders, communities, faith-based organisations) can add value to solutions to beat pollution.

Three ways to engage with the Faith for Earth Coalition, under the Interfaith Working Group on Pollution:

  1. Read 'Faith-based Action Towards a Pollution-free Planet';
  2. Join the Interfaith Working Group on Pollution;
  3. Get in touch with the Working Group.

 

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