Tell the UN to Include Latinx Voices in Plastic Treaty!

Our planet is facing a plastic crisis. Since the 1950s, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced, and *half* of that in the past 15 years alone. Plastic is a big problem, and not just for the environment, but for our communities too. Plastic accelerates the climate crisis and is also an environmental justice issue – its production, consumption, and waste threaten the rights and health of communities worldwide.

Next month, the UN’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution is holding its third negotiating session in Nairobi, Kenya. We saw an attempt to leave out frontline communities, including Latinx representatives, in the last session, and we must ensure these communities are listened to in this upcoming session. 

Azul, the nation’s only ocean conservation group for and led-by Latinxs, believes it is critical that Latinx communities be consulted and included prominently in all negotiations. We were the only NGO to be invited to submit a report to the negotiating committee in 2021, and we drew attention to the unique ways communities of color were impacted by plastic pollution and climate change.

Now, as we prepare for the third session in Nairobi, it’s critical that our communities are represented and our voices are heard!

We’re calling on the INC to proactively seek out and incorporate the views and voices of frontline and Latinx communities and ensure that all negotiations represent our communities’ best interests.