STORY: Global negotiations for plastic treaty commences in Kenya
SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 13, 2023
DATELINE: Nov. 14, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:27
LOCATION: Nairobi
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Kenyan President arrival
2. various of delegates at the meeting
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): WILLIAM RUTO, Kenyan President
4. various of the meeting
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): INGER ANDERSEN, Executive director of the United Nations Environment Program
6. various of the meeting

STORYLINE:

The third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3), tasked with developing a legally binding global treaty to address plastic pollution, opened in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Monday.
  
Over 2,000 representatives from governments, civil society, industry and academia are attending the seven-day meeting. They will discuss the Zero draft text, which forms the basis for establishing a global treaty to enhance action against plastic litter that is causing harm to terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
   
In his opening remarks, Kenyan President William Ruto said that plastic pollution remains an existential threat to a just transition as well as human and planetary health, noting that a legally binding treaty could offer some relief.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): WILLIAM RUTO, Kenyan President
"The threat of plastics to our planet, our health and our future is of such magnitude that it requires all of us, I mean, all of us, the global south and the global north to develop and execute a global instrument that will help us neutralize the threat of plastic pollution in our world. The numbers on plastic pollution explain the necessity of working together with tremendous purpose and urgency."

Ruto said ending plastic pollution from the source to the end users will ensure a just and green transition for humanity, promote ecological health and revitalize the growth of the circular economy.
   
Discussions on the contents of the Zero draft, which was agreed upon at INC-2, will dominate this week's meeting, aiming to expedite the process of establishing a legally binding global treaty to combat plastic pollution by 2024.
  
Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, said that a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, once adopted, will enhance global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and expedite the transition from a linear to a circular economy.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): INGER ANDERSEN, Executive director of the United Nations Environment Program
"The coming days will be crucial and it's in your hands. That you are ambitious, that you are innovative, that you are bold and that you use these negotiations to hone a sharp and incisive instrument so that together we can carve a better future free from plastic pollution."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nairobi.
(XHTV)