Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Distinguished colleagues,
First, I want to thank the Government of Kenya for its hospitality. Asante sana. I also extend my sincere appreciation to the Executive Director, Ms. Inger Andersen, her whole team and the Bureaus for their hard work in preparing this session.
There is no stronger authority to address global environmental challenges than UNEA. With all our different cultures, interests, and challenging geopolitical dynamics, we’re here with one common goal: to advance sustainable solutions for a resilient planet.
Let’s identify our collective challenges and focus on the actions. One of these collective challenges is to transform our current economic waste to a circular economy.
By throwing away our trash, we’re gravely polluting our lands, waters and the ocean, which negatively affects our food security, our health and also our economies.
I think it’s time for new sustainable and clean business models. Models that are resource-efficient and provide us new economic opportunities while being environmentally more aware.
To seize those opportunities, we need to embrace economic changes:
- Better product design, innovative technologies and sustainable business models.
- New and innovative infrastructure for waste-management: with increased recycling and re-use.
- Strong international cooperation. A better resource management deserves to be in the international spotlight, in the main boardrooms and in the hearts of our policymakers.
The Netherlands is making this shift. We are transitioning towards a circular economy.
- We are phasing out single use plastics and enhancing recycling and reuse of plastic products.
- We are scaling up circular design. For example modular building blocks for bridges and roads.
- We promote improved design in the ICT and electronics sector, so that parts can easily be repaired or replaced.
We have learned at least one thing: we have to do it together with the private sector, financial institutions, knowledge institutes and civil society.
We need relevant innovations, success stories, and experiences to inspire us to continue the negotiations for a global treaty.
Mr. President,
The Netherlands is committed to do our part. Let’s make this seventh UN Environment Assembly a success for the future!