February 2019: In response to a decision adopted by the third session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-3) in 2017, delegates at the upcoming Assembly session will consider a proposed implementation plan for realizing the vision of a pollution-free planet by 2030. The plan covers an initial three-year period coinciding with the current UNEP medium-term strategy and related programme of work.

The plan is outlined in a document titled, ‘Implementation Plan “Towards a Pollution-Free Planet”’ (UNEP/EA.4/3), which opens with an overview of how a focus on pollution can contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, and outlines relevant mandates towards this end from various UNEA resolutions. It provides an overview of the estimated 400 voluntary commitments submitted by governments, civil society and business during UNEA-3, as well as more than 2 million pledges from individuals as part of the #BeatPollution campaign.

Examples of such commitments include: adoption and implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines; controlling the use of antimicrobials in the livestock sector to avoid releases into the environment; extending product lifespan through sustainable design; and removal of lead paint.

The implementation plan proposes a number of specific action areas to take forward UNEA’s pollution-related outcomes, with a focus on common challenges relating to air, water, land and soil, marine and coastal, and chemicals and waste pollution. It also includes a discussion of opportunities and solutions to address capacity gaps and challenges, including opportunities to enhance the sharing of good practices and knowledge on pollution prevention as well as remediation.

Among proposals for reporting on progress, the implementation plan suggests: self-reporting on voluntary commitments by member States and stakeholders; national reporting of action on pollution through self-reporting at future UNEA sessions; and the use of capacity and policy indicators to report actions taken and help identify areas for more support.

Examples of actions posted to the #BeatPollution platform to date include:

• The nine-metre ‘Flipflopi’ dhow, which was made from around ten tonnes of discarded plastic waste collected from beaches and roadsides in Kenya, including some 30,000 flip-flops that were repurposed to make panels for the hull and deck, and is being used to raise awareness on the potential of “already-used” plastic;
• A pledge by organizers of the Xiamen Marathon in China to achieve a 60% reduction of plastic waste through a series of measures, including the banning of single-use plastic bottles and replacing nearly one million single-use plastic cups with biodegradable cups made from maize straw; and
• Involvement of 17 Latin American and Caribbean countries in the UNEP Clean Seas campaign to drastically reduce the consumption of single-use plastics and eradicate the use of microbeads.

UNEA-4 will convene under the theme, ‘Innovative Solutions for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Consumption and Production,’ from 11-15 March 2019, in Nairobi, Kenya. [Implementation plan ‘Towards a Pollution-Free Planet’] [SDG Knowledge Hub story on UNEP Report, ‘Towards A Pollution-Free Planet’]