Kenya
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I have the honor to present Kenya?s position on strategies for
sustainable chemicals and waste management. We associate with
the statements made by Tanzania on behalf of G77 and China.
There is an urgent need to intensify the fight against poverty and
to drastically improve on the achievement of the internationally
agreed development goals, including the MDGs, related to
sanitation and public health in the developing countries. Great
benefits could be achieved through the provision of better
services for waste management and promotion of environmental
education for effective and efficient waste management actions.
Most importantly, however, developing countries require:
? greater investment,
? additional financial resources,
? capacity-building,
? know-how and technology transfer in implementing the 3Rs
(reducing, reuse, recycle) and,
? improvement in infrastructure.
All these will ensure a better quality of life for the population.
Economic empowerment of the communities, through
engagement in wastes recycling, needs to be implemented in
order to eradicate poverty and thus reduce rural-urban migration
in developing countries.
Mr. Chairman,
Kenya believes that specific assistance is needed in developing
countries, including Africa, to establish proper inventories of
hazardous, radio-active wastes and degraded sites potentially
affected by poor management of such wastes. This will form a
basis for developing and implementing facilities to manage and
clean up contaminated sites.
We are also deeply concerned about the dumping of potentially
toxic electronic waste in developing countries. The expanding of
illegal trade in hazardous waste from developed to developing
countries, is increasing health risks to people and environment.
Thus, the electronics companies need to increase their efforts to
collect and responsibly treat e-waste.
Mr. Chairman,
We also urge the international community to support
technological transfer and capacity in order to foster investments
in best practices for environmentally sound management of
various waste streams in developing countries. The scale of
investments needed for proper sanitation and environmentally
sound management of wastes is beyond the capacity of
developing countries. Kenya has an ongoing pilot Project of
Nairobi River, where the integrated solid waste management
for the City is embedded. This Project will provide our Capital city
with a modern sanitary landfill and transfer stations with collateral
economic benefits to the communities arising from the 3Rs.
Mr. Chairman,
In regards to chemicals, we note that significant efforts are taking
place at international levels that need to be coordinated and
harmonized. Kenya acknowledges that the Strategic Approach to
International Chemicals Management (SAICM) constitutes an
important global and national framework for strengthening
capacity for sound chemicals management, and narrowing the
capacity/technology gap between the developing and the
developed countries.
We, in Kenya, support bilateral agreements including the Basel,
Rotterdam, Stockholm Conventions and the Montreal Protocol on
the Ozone Layer. However, ratification/domestication of these
convections and their full implementation remain as major
challenges on chemicals and waste management. These
measures, we believe, will be a good starting point in order to
assist developing countries to:
? Manage toxic and hazardous chemicals, particularly pesticides;
? Strengthen national preparedness for chemical emergencies
and occupational health and safety measures;
? Absorb best available technologies;
? Develop national policies and legislation on compensation for
environmental damages; and finally
? Setting out legal requirements on chemical registration,
evaluation, authorization and restriction.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, we urge the international
community to conclude the negotiations and ratification of a
protocol on liability and compensation for damages under the
Basel Convention.
These measures require availability of financial resources for
developing, supporting, implementing and operationalizing
management systems, especially in vulnerable developing
countries and Small Island States.
Further, assistance is also required for sustained public awareness
and cultural exchange programmes for integrated waste
management.
THANK YOU
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I have the honor to present Kenya?s position on strategies for
sustainable chemicals and waste management. We associate with
the statements made by Tanzania on behalf of G77 and China.
There is an urgent need to intensify the fight against poverty and
to drastically improve on the achievement of the internationally
agreed development goals, including the MDGs, related to
sanitation and public health in the developing countries. Great
benefits could be achieved through the provision of better
services for waste management and promotion of environmental
education for effective and efficient waste management actions.
Most importantly, however, developing countries require:
? greater investment,
? additional financial resources,
? capacity-building,
? know-how and technology transfer in implementing the 3Rs
(reducing, reuse, recycle) and,
? improvement in infrastructure.
All these will ensure a better quality of life for the population.
Economic empowerment of the communities, through
engagement in wastes recycling, needs to be implemented in
order to eradicate poverty and thus reduce rural-urban migration
in developing countries.
Mr. Chairman,
Kenya believes that specific assistance is needed in developing
countries, including Africa, to establish proper inventories of
hazardous, radio-active wastes and degraded sites potentially
affected by poor management of such wastes. This will form a
basis for developing and implementing facilities to manage and
clean up contaminated sites.
We are also deeply concerned about the dumping of potentially
toxic electronic waste in developing countries. The expanding of
illegal trade in hazardous waste from developed to developing
countries, is increasing health risks to people and environment.
Thus, the electronics companies need to increase their efforts to
collect and responsibly treat e-waste.
Mr. Chairman,
We also urge the international community to support
technological transfer and capacity in order to foster investments
in best practices for environmentally sound management of
various waste streams in developing countries. The scale of
investments needed for proper sanitation and environmentally
sound management of wastes is beyond the capacity of
developing countries. Kenya has an ongoing pilot Project of
Nairobi River, where the integrated solid waste management
for the City is embedded. This Project will provide our Capital city
with a modern sanitary landfill and transfer stations with collateral
economic benefits to the communities arising from the 3Rs.
Mr. Chairman,
In regards to chemicals, we note that significant efforts are taking
place at international levels that need to be coordinated and
harmonized. Kenya acknowledges that the Strategic Approach to
International Chemicals Management (SAICM) constitutes an
important global and national framework for strengthening
capacity for sound chemicals management, and narrowing the
capacity/technology gap between the developing and the
developed countries.
We, in Kenya, support bilateral agreements including the Basel,
Rotterdam, Stockholm Conventions and the Montreal Protocol on
the Ozone Layer. However, ratification/domestication of these
convections and their full implementation remain as major
challenges on chemicals and waste management. These
measures, we believe, will be a good starting point in order to
assist developing countries to:
? Manage toxic and hazardous chemicals, particularly pesticides;
? Strengthen national preparedness for chemical emergencies
and occupational health and safety measures;
? Absorb best available technologies;
? Develop national policies and legislation on compensation for
environmental damages; and finally
? Setting out legal requirements on chemical registration,
evaluation, authorization and restriction.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, we urge the international
community to conclude the negotiations and ratification of a
protocol on liability and compensation for damages under the
Basel Convention.
These measures require availability of financial resources for
developing, supporting, implementing and operationalizing
management systems, especially in vulnerable developing
countries and Small Island States.
Further, assistance is also required for sustained public awareness
and cultural exchange programmes for integrated waste
management.
THANK YOU
Stakeholders