Chilean Ambassador to Kenya co-chairs the inauguration of the Group of Friends of Nairobi to Combat Maritime Litter

On July 6, Ambassador María Alejandra Guerra —Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) - co-chaired, together with the Permanent Representative of Portugal, Luisa Fragoso, the launch of the Group of Friends of Nairobi to Combat Maritime Litter and Plastic Pollution, from the agency's headquarters. This event was broadcast virtually and had more than 200 participants.

This initiative, promoted by Chile and Portugal, responds to the need to generate instances of dialogue in Nairobi, which seek to unite initiatives between representatives of countries, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and academia. They will share, as a common goal, the will to advance ambitiously in the fight against marine litter and plastic pollution globally. This becomes even more crucial in view of the holding of the United Nations Environment Assembly 5.2 in Nairobi for February 2022. At the moment, the issue is on the agenda and it will also be decided how to advance in this challenge, including with the possibility of starting the negotiation of an international treaty that addresses the matter in the near future.

High-ranking personalities participated in the event, among them, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Andrés Allamand; the Minister of the Sea of ​​Portugal, Ricardo Serrao Santos; the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program, Iger Andersen; and the Special Envoy for the Oceans of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Peter Thomson.

The Group of Friends of Nairobi to Combat Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution, to date, has 27 member countries, including the European Union, and 16 international NGOs.

This initiative is a sample of Chile's multilateral vocation and leadership in matters of high importance to the international environmental agenda, which is consistent with the country's own objectives of continuing to advance in policies and regulations on plastics and the protection of the oceans.