{"id":189970,"date":"2019-04-30T16:49:25","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T20:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/73\/?p=189970"},"modified":"2019-04-30T16:49:58","modified_gmt":"2019-04-30T20:49:58","slug":"press-conference-on-the-pgas-global-campaign-against-plastic-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/73\/2019\/04\/30\/press-conference-on-the-pgas-global-campaign-against-plastic-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"Press Conference on the PGA’s Global Campaign Against Plastic Pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"
Grammy Award Winning Singer\/Songwriter and Actress, Ashanti, joins Leaders from Antigua and Barbuda, Norway, and the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ to help Beat Plastic Pollution. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
President of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly, Environment Minister of Antigua & Barbuda, and Permanent Representative of Norway announce \u2018Play it Out\u2019 concert to tackle plastic pollution on 1st June 2019 in Antigua. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
New York, 30 April \u2013 The President of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly, Mar\u00eda Fernanda Espinosa, today joined Molwyn Joseph, Environment Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, and Mona Juul, Permanent Representative of Norway, to welcome special guest Ashanti as a headliner at the upcoming \u2018Play it Out\u2019 concert to tackle plastic pollution.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the heart of my Presidency is a firm belief that multilateral solutions, involving a diverse group of stakeholders, are the only sustainable and efficient way to deliver results,\u201d noted President Espinosa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge of plastics is one that spans the entire globe\u2026every region, every ocean, every environment is impacted. We must work on this together. Play it Out purposefully brings together Member States, the private sector, philanthropic groups and individuals, and focuses this combined energy on a joint solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have all seen the images of turtles choking on straws, or birds wrapped in plastic, and it\u2019s devastating,\u201d noted Ashanti. \u201cBut these images, while emotional, don\u2019t capture how massive this problem really is. This concert is about raising awareness, it\u2019s about educating people to the seriousness of the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Up to 15 million tons of plastic litter are dumped into the ocean each year. Most of this has the potential to persist in the ocean for long periods, to travel with ocean currents across long distances, and to accumulate in habitats far from its point of origin. In fact, while most plastics are designed to last, their breakdown has been shown to result in microplastics that have been found everywhere from the insides of marine wildlife to the deepest parts of the ocean to the tops of mountains.<\/p>\n
Along with Ashanti, the concert, which aims to Play it Out 2 Phase it Out, will be co-headlined by Machel Montano, the so-called \u2018Soca King of the World\u2019. Joining the pair will be a lineup of artists and performers covering different regions, demographics and music styles. They include American indie-rock band St. Lucia; Bomba Est\u00e9reo, an electric-duo hailing from Colombia; Nico & Vinz, an R&B act from Norway; Rocky Dawuni, Ghana\u2019s premiere reggae artist and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Environment Goodwill Ambassador; and Grammy nominated German DJ\/producer Robin Schulz.<\/p>\n
The event will also feature top local artists, including Ricardo Drue and Claudette Peters. Antigua\u2019s Kanneh-Masons will also perform. Additionally, the concert will feature an array of speakers including dignitaries, policymakers, celebrities, and representatives from the scientific, philanthropic and academic communities. This includes actor, co-founder of Lonely Whale, and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Environment Goodwill Ambassador, Adrian Grenier.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are thrilled to have this amazing lineup of artists and speakers,\u201d said Minister Joseph. \u201cBeing the first country in the region to ban single-use plastic, Antigua and Barbuda is proud to host this event and we hope that this festival will bring international awareness to the harmful effects of plastics to our oceans.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s shocking how prevalent plastic litter in our oceans really is,\u201d stated Mona Juul, Norway\u2019s Ambassador to the United Nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet, people are taking action, and we see that very clearly in the Caribbean. Norway\u2019s hope is that this concert will not only highlight the problem but showcase the opportunities for clean and healthy oceans. Norway believes that we need a new global agreement to combat marine litter. We hope that the concert will be a platform to also move that agenda forward. It is also an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how important regional cooperation is for contributing to solving this growing problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
The concert, set for 1 June in Antigua, will expect to see an audience of up to 20,000 people attend live, with thousands more following online at http:\/\/webtv.un.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n