…as the Minister of Green Economy and Environment Hon. Collins Nzovu affirms Zambia’s support towards efforts in tackling global plastic pollution.
MINISTER of Green Economy and Environment Hon. Collins Nzovu has held a bilateral meeting with his counterpart in charge of the Ministry of Environment in Rwanda, Dr. Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya.
The meeting was held at the sidelines of the ongoing resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi, Kenya.
During the meeting, the two ministers discussed a wide range of affairs pertaining to climate change adaptation and environmental sustainability. issues
Mr. Nzovu said it would be helpful for Rwanda, with its vast experience in environmental sustainability, to share knowledge and lesson learnt with Zambia.
“what we seek is to learn from Rwanda on how we can unlock and access climate finance like Rwanda has done, issues of pollution control, afforestation, flood early warning systems and awareness, waste management and implementation of the green growth agenda to ensure environmental sustainability. Our focus is for Zambia to tap into those lessons and see how best we can improve our skills and expertise on environment matters.” Hon Nzovu said. He also commended Rwanda for the strides it has made in promoting Environmental Sustainability in the East African nation.
The two ministers exchanged notes about initiatives their countries are undertaking to ensure that they work under the clock to respond to the challenges of Climate change.
The two ministers also proposed and agreed to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries to further strengthen collaboration between the two countries in areas of environmental protection, natural resource management, early warning systems and climate change.
The MoU is also aimed at opening avenues for collaboration between the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) and the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA).
And Minister Nzovu expressed Zambia’s willingness to support the UNEA Resolution that seeks to establish an International Negotiation Committee to develop an internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
He said plastic pollution is becoming a very big problem in Zambia which needs to be tackled.
“Our government is getting concerned because our rivers are getting polluted with plastics hence this initiative is the right way to go,” Hon Nzovu said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mujawamariya said the issue of plastic pollution in marine and other environments needs to be addressed with the urgency it deserves through a collective effort approach by all countries.
She also informed Hon. Nzovu that inclusion of a special police unit to protect the environment and natural resources had worked very well in Rwanda to protect natural resources.
She added that the Rwanda Government was committed to provide support to the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment in its quest to achieve the Green Growth pathway and in the areas that the Minister had highlighted.
The bilateral meeting attendance was also attended by Zambia’s High Commissioner to Kenya Her Excellency and Permanent Representative to UNEP Joyce Kasosa, Mr. Maxwell Nkoya, Director of Planning Information and Research at (ZEMA) and UN- Habitat Dr. Richard Masozera.