St. Kitts and Nevis, in its debut at the Intergovernmental Meeting on the Science‑Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution, urged global leaders to ensure equity for small island states and take urgent action to combat contamination. Cabinet Secretary Dr. Marcus Natta, representing the Federation during the 19th – 20th June conference in Punta del Este, warned that pollution poses an existential threat to island communities and must be addressed with science-driven policies.
Dr. Natta highlighted the Federation’s frontline experience of plastic litter washing onto shores, coral bleaching, and chemical runoff—calling pollution the unifying link in the triple planetary crisis alongside climate change and biodiversity loss. “This is not abstract science—it is our daily reality,” Natta stressed, as he called for a science–policy panel that is action-oriented, equitable, and ready to tackle interlinked environmental threats.
The meeting follows a UN Environment Assembly resolution in March 2022 (UNEA‑5.2) that tasked an ad hoc working group with designing a global body akin to the IPCC. From 15–18 June, delegates met in Uruguay to finalise the panel’s foundational documents, including its objectives, governance, and interim secretariat arrangements. During the 19th – 20th June conference, the Intergovernmental Meeting formally adopted these proposals, establishing an independent, science-based advisory panel designed to shape evidence-based national and global policy.
Dr. Natta urged the panel to prioritise the vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and recommended integrating Indigenous knowledge and capacity-building into its mandate—a stance echoed by Kenya and Indigenous delegates during the final negotiations .
Coming out of the meeting, the panel is now empowered to:
- Translate scientific findings into policy, especially for chemicals, waste, air, land, and marine pollution.
- Undertake horizon-scanning and provide policy-relevant assessments, with support for developing states via capacity-building.
- Maintain independence, advising policymakers without prescribing legislation.
With official approval secured, focus now turns to nominating members, launching the secretariat based at UNEP Nairobi, and finalising funding mechanisms. The new panel joins other major science-policy bodies—IPCC and IPBES—in supporting strategies to address the triple planetary crisis, as underlined by UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.
St. Kitts and Nevis welcomed this development and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting ocean health, reducing chemical pollution, and advancing its Sustainable Island State Agenda. Dr Natta concluded: “St. Kitts and Nevis stands ready.”
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