Jordan won the direct election to become a member of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to End Plastic Pollution, which is expected to produce an agreement by 2024.
Secretary-General of Jordan Ministry of Environment Muhammad Khashashneh was also chosen as the representative of the Asia-Pacific Group in the intergovernmental committee and is in charge of negotiating a “binding international instrument to address the problem of plastic pollution in the world,” the ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has worked over the past few months to rally support for the Jordanian candidate.
Negotiations on the membership kicked off last May at the preparatory meeting for the committee and culminated by today’s vote.
The United Nations Environment Assembly adopted Resolution 5/14, titled “End Plastic Pollution: Towards an internationally legally binding instrument,” following several meetings.
In the course of such meetings, the United Nations Environment Program Executive Director described the agreement as “the most significant environmental deal since the Paris climate accord.”