Fiji joins plastic fight

FIJI has joined a group of nations focused on incubating and facilitating local, regional and global projects for reducing plastic pollution.

Fiji, along with Curacao and Seychelles are part of the Commitment Accelerator for Plastic Pollution (CAPP) program that brings together transparency, community and action to reduce and eliminate plastic waste.

Minister for Environment, Waterways and Agriculture, Dr Mahendra Reddy said as Fiji was probably coming out of the crisis it was facing with COVID-19, the country was also looking at issues of health and environment.

“This is especially important for small island nations like us (Fiji), who often bear the brunt but are not the cause of some of these macro consequences, yet whose mitigating measures can inspire the world,” he said.

“One such sustainable development domain is to ensure cleaner rivers, waterways and the ocean, by fighting plastic pollution.

“Fiji has taken several admirable initiatives and strides through the Ministry of Waterways and Environment to maintain cleaner streets and cleaner oceans.

“It is our mission to make environmental improvements at all levels, and we are driven by our many stakeholder interests. Exemplars include the Oceans Audit Programs, Our Hotspot Watch Program, Litter Think Tanks etc.

“We partner with profit, non-profit, other government agencies and the academia and knowledge institutions.

“One main obstacle to success is that commitments to fight plastic pollution often do not lead to the level of action required and the impact expected on the ground, and of course that successful approaches and stakeholders do not always surface.

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“In order to help motivate engaged improvements in this space, Fiji is joining this flagship group of countries (including Curacao and Seychelles) led by passionate professionals with complementary expertise who have joined forces to create the CAPP to ensure that impact is made through transparency, data and community building.”

He added that Fiji is proud to be an early collaborator joining the CAPP of flagship of nations.

“This program will help defeat plastic pollution through community, transparency and well informed, co-ordinated action.”

The managing director of Ocean Recovery Alliance, Doug Woodring, thanked the Fijian Government for its tremendous support.