04 DEC 2017, Environment Centre
The third UN Environment Assembly officially kicked off on Monday morning, with over 4,000 heads of state, ministers, business leaders, UN officials and civil society representatives coming together in Nairobi to tackle the global menace of pollution.
“Our collective goal must be to embrace ways to reduce pollution drastically,” Dr. Edgar Gutiérrez, Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica and the President of the 2017 Assembly, told the opening plenary. “Only through stronger collective action, beginning in Nairobi this week, can we start cleaning up the planet globally and save countless lives.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also delivered a message to the meeting: “Dedicating this Assembly to working towards a pollution-free planet highlights the urgent need for rapid, large-scale and coordinated action by leaders from governments, industry, the scientific community and civil society,” he said in a statement. “It also highlights the incredible opportunity to promote equitable and sustainable social and economic development.”
Later in the day, delegates continued their negotiations on a number of resolutions that may be adopted by the Assembly. Earth Negotiations Bulletin is providing detailed coverage.
A new patron
At an event on Monday morning, Head of UN Environment Erik Solheim designated Vijay Shekhar Sharma, CEO of One97 Communications and its consumer brand Paytm, as UN Environment’s new patron of Clean Air.
Featured in Time Magazine’s 2017 list of “100 Most Influential People”, Sharma hopes to use his new designation to drive greater environmental action and awareness on air quality, and advocate for the goals of the Breathe Life campaign.
“Delhi is like a mother who is saying she is in pain,” Sharma said, referring to the problem of air pollution in his adopted hometown. “This starts from Delhi and becomes a national and global concern.”
“I am honoured to be appointed UN Environment Patron of Clean Air. We can't achieve economic well-being without ensuring the well-being of the environment. The private sector is key to ensure cleaner air and a more sustainable future for us all.”
Tents and side events
Monday also saw the opening of the Clean Seas tent and dome, where visitors can learn about marine litter and how the Clean Seas campaign is tackling it. Visitors can also engage in the virtual reality journey: “Cry Out: The Lonely Whale Experience”.
Three of the Assembly’s six side events took place on Monday, on the topics of tackling pollution from the extractives industry, unlocking trade in environmentally sound technologies, and accelerating the sound management of chemicals and waste.
“If people are at the centre of sustainable development, then people should be at the centre of mining and any sort of resource extraction,” Ligia Noronha, Director of UN Environment’s Economy Division, said at the close of the event on extractives and pollution. “When you look at what we heard from the panel, it came out very clearly that there is a need for a paradigm shift to put people before profits.”