Hon. Minister of Environment

Hon. Minister of Trade & industries

One UN country Residence Coordinator

CEO PSF

Development Partners

Government institutions represented here

Dear colleagues

Ladies & Gentlemen

It is my great pleasure and honor to welcome you all to this important conference on the launch of World Environment Week and as a 1st preceding event to the World Environment Day  (WED) celebration, that we normally cerebrate on the 5th June every year.

The 2018 WED is the 46th   since we started to cerebrate WED globally and the WED theme this year “highlights a very big environmental challenges that our planet is facing. It is time for us to choose between planet and plastic.

The Theme “Beat plastic pollution. If you can’t re use it, refuse it.

Beating plastic calls all of us to do few but very important things and I believe it is within our capacities & capabilities:

It just requires our mindset change, which could lead to change of our behavior and lifestyle.
Research and innovation – It is an opportunity for us especially the youth to take advantages of opportunities from the problem because reduce means get alternative to replace plastics and /or where not necessary not used plastics.
Recycle and re use- means innovation in recycling and reuse of plastic wastes.  Making plastic wastes to be resources as raw materials for a new product.

Hon. Ministers,

Distinguished guests,

We have come from far but where we are heading is much far and we need to increase the momentum’ move faster with more innovations to provide solutions to our problems

We have to build on what we have achieved and on our good practices, improve on and create more green jobs with a link to a green market.

I conclude my short remarks by welcoming you all once again as we wait for official opening and fruitful discussion

I thank you