Minister Mr. Thoriq Ibrahim said that Waste Management is a critical issue that we cannot risk to overlook in the official opening ceremony of the 3R forum held at Dharubaaruge this morning. Speaking in the inaugural ceremony of the 3R forum he said that it is intrinsically linked to the major crises facing humanity today and the progress towards sustainable waste management can have significant impact on the overall environment, development and quality of life. He also said that the 3R forum seeks to bring to the forefront the significant role that 3R can play in the economy, particularly on the tourism industries within the region and that this year’s Forum will provide significant insight and concrete direction towards mainstreaming 3R into the wider economy.
Speaking further he highlighted on the common challenges faced by this region such as Environmental degradation, population growth, and increasing urbanization which have to be dealt with. He also said the Maldives is currently in the process of revising the national solid waste management policy, which will integrate fundamental principles such as waste hierarchy, proximity and extended producer responsibility into the overall waste management approach. He also mentioned that the government of Maldives has initiated a campaign under the umbrella ‘Saafu Raajje’.
In the ceremony held to mark the 3R day yesterday, 99 resorts have signed a declaration towards ‘zero-waste’ in order to protect overall marine environment and in particular the marine resources they contain. This forum will be held until 19th August 2015.