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Gibraltar signs up to global UN campaign on clean seas

World Environment Day 05-06-18 (Photo John Bugeja) with the theme Beat Plastic Pollution, if you can't reuse it, refuse it. Opening by Hon Prof. John Cortes with School performances and participating organisations with different activities stall.

Gibraltar became the 45th Government to join the United Nations Environment Clean Seas Campaign, when Minster for Environment Dr John Cortes signed a pledge yesterday at a World Environment Day event in Commonwealth Park.

The campaign aims to bring countries together to contribute to the goals of the Global Partnership on Marine Litter, a voluntary open-ended partnership of international agencies, governments, businesses, academia, local authorities and non-governmental organizations hosted by UN Environment.

“By signing the pledge, the Government is now committed to pass new laws to reduce plastic pollution including the regulation and elimination of single-use plastic bags, plastic utensils and other single-use plastic materials,” said a Government statement.

Further details on the measures that will be implemented as part of the local campaign to #BeatPlasticPollution will be published by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Climate Change, in due course.

Signing up to the pledge also commits the Government to continue to expand its environmental awareness programme in relation to marine litter, promote recycling and encourage the public and private sectors to change and reduce the use of single-use plastic using a combination of policies.

“Signing up to the Clean Seas Campaign highlights Gibraltar’s commitment to be part of the solution to the worldwide problem of single-use plastics,” said Dr Cortes.

“We will therefore be taking bold steps to show how a small country like Gibraltar can lead the way in preventing marine litter and help protect our coastal environment which we are so fond of in Gibraltar.”

“The time to act is now and I am happy to announce that it is now Government policy to ban non-essential single use plastic from Government Departments, Agencies and Authorities. We will continue to lead by example and will work with NGOs and the community as a whole towards ridding the world of this plastic scourge,” he added.

Pic by Johnny Bugeja

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