AYV News, August 15, 2025
Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Madam Mima Yeama Sobba-Stephens, has called for urgent national and global action to combat plastic pollution. She made the appeal during the Informal Ministerial Roundtable: Challenges at National Level to Address Plastic Pollution, held as part of the second segment of the fifth session of the UN Environment Programme’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2), chaired by UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen.
The INC-5.2 meeting, running from August 5–14 in Geneva, is advancing negotiations towards a legally binding international treaty on plastic pollution, with a particular focus on its impact on marine ecosystems.
The roundtable provided a platform for high-level representatives to share national experiences, discuss policy and technical barriers, and explore partnership opportunities.
In her address, Madam Sobba-Stephens called for a treaty that should be globally binding and fully domesticated within national legal frameworks to ensure lasting results.
“Sierra Leone remains committed to achieving an outcome that reflects our shared aspirations and delivers tangible benefits for the global community,” she stated, acknowledging the country’s active engagement in negotiations despite limited resources.
She outlined key national actions, including:
•Completion of a baseline assessment of marine litter, material flow analysis, and a plastic policy gap analysis, resulting in a strategic roadmap in support of the treaty.
•Introduction of a Green Labelling scheme in the hospitality sector to recognize tourism operators who reduce single-use plastics (SUP).
The Deputy Minister urged that the treaty address both upstream plastic production and chemical use, as well as downstream waste management, while taking into account the unequal capacities of countries.
“Let us work together to deliver an ambitious, inclusive, and implementable instrument—one that marks this moment as a historic turning point in the fight against plastic pollution,” she concluded.
In a related engagement, Madam Sobba-Stephens also participated in the Informal Ministerial Dialogue on Investment Opportunities for a Circular Economy in the Context of the Global Plastic Treaty.
