Kenya says 7,000 delegates to attend UN environment assembly
Xinhua,December 02, 2017 Adjust font size:
NAIROBI, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is set to host about 7,000 delegates in the upcoming United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), a government official confirmed on Friday.
Judi Wakhungu, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources, said that Heads of States and Government, 100 ministers, environmental scientists, UN agencies, members of the civil society and private sector will be attending the conference that will take place from Dec.4-6.
"Governments around the world are looking up to United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) to monitor and review and establish environmental challenges including pollution," she told journalists in Nairobi.
Wakhungu said that Kenya is committed to supporting the work of the United Nations and desires to maintain Nairobi's position as the central hub of the UNEP.
UNEA is the world's highest level decision making body on environment and it meets biannually in Nairobi. The last meeting was held in Nairobi in 2015.
UNEA has a universal membership of all 193 UN Member States and enjoys the full involvement of UN organizations, specialized agencies, inter-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector.
The Assembly provides a platform for leadership on global environmental policy and aims at delivering a number of tangible commitments to end pollution of air, land, waterways, oceans, and to safely manage our chemicals and waste.
Under this year's theme of "Towards a pollution-free planet," delegates will deliver a policy declaration on pollution, linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to signal that humanity can work together to eliminate the threat of pollution and the destruction of our planet.
"We have instituted and implemented a wide range of policy and regulatory measures towards eradicating pollution on air, land, water and marine," Wakhungu noted.
She said Kenya is expected to showcase to the world how it has managed to implement the recent ban on use of plastic bags. Enditem