The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to effectively addressing environmental challenges to enhance global environmental sustainability.
A statement issued by the Director of Press in the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr Saghir el Mohammed, in Abuja on Wednesday quoted the Minister for State for Environment, Chief Sharon Ikeazor, as stating this at the fifth resumed UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), in Nairobi, Kenya.
The meeting had, as its theme: “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals.”
The minister, who led the Nigerian delegation to the meeting, said that it was aimed at tackling environmental challenges for sustainability in the continent.
She said that the UNEA was the world’s highest decision-making body on the environment.
Ikeazor said that the UNEA was targeted at addressing critical environmental challenges facing the world, adding that Nigeria was a member.
According to her, Nigeria has adopted various strategic approaches to addressing the environmental challenges facing the country.
The minister listed some of the strategies to include: development and implementation of National Forest Policy, aimed at promoting sustainable forest management practices.
Others, she said, were: the National Policies on Plastic Waste Management and Solid Waste Management, which had been supporting and promoting circular economy.
Ikeazor also mentioned the Drought and Desertification Policy, aimed at actualising land degradation neutrality and increasing community resilience, among others.
She expressed the federal government’s commitment to environmental sustainability and achievement of the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), with 20 per cent emission reduction unconditionally and 47 per cent emission reduction conditionally, by 2030.
The minister further said that Nigeria had developed an Energy Transition Plan as a pathway to achieving net zero by 2060.
According to her, this is also in addition to the enactment of a Climate Change Law in November 2021, which provided a legal framework for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The minister had some bilateral engagements with the Director-General, World Wild Fund (WWF) For Nature, Mr Marco Lambertini, on Nigeria’s commitment to Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
She stressed the need for collaborating with WWF for strong management of 10 new national parks approved by the federal government and two designated marine protected areas in Bayelsa.
Ikeazor also had an engagement with the Swedish Minister of Environment on the preparation and areas of collaboration for the upcoming Stockholm +50, commemorating 50 years of the first UN Conference on Human Environment, held in 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden.
She said that the theme of the conference was: “Stockholm+50: A Healthy Planet for the Prosperity of all – Our Responsibility, Our Opportunity.”
The minister said that Nigeria had signed and ratified all the chemical and waste-related treaties, adding that the effort had strengthened its legal and institutional infrastructure for sound management of chemicals and wastes.
