Delegation from Represented by

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Al Ma’arifa International Private

School
Position Paper for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
The topics before the UNDP are “Sustainable Measures for Plastic Management in the Natural
Environment” and “Developing an Effective Framework to Ensure the Success of SDGS by 2030”.
The UNDP holds the role of furthering global human development and quality of life through the
provision of comprehensive resources. Likewise, Venezuela has taken a plethora of national and
international measures ensuring higher sustainability and standards of living.

I. Sustainable Measures for Plastic Management in the Natural Environment

Plastic management is an increasingly pressing issue in the 21st century; the global community as
a whole has yet to put forth an effective waste system for this toxic material. While this matter has
been highlighted by past actions, such as the 2017 United Nations Environment Assembly target
to end ocean plastic waste, and India’s promise to eliminate single-use plastics by 2022, the
situation is of utmost urgency as, globally, only 9% of plastic is recycled. High-density cities like
Caracas are at high risk of waste mismanagement due to demand, and with each Venezuelan using
about 150 plastic bags per year, a solution has yet to be proposed.

Venezuela believes that sustainable development is impossible without a healthy environment; it

adopts an eco-socialist regime, where “reduce, recycle, and reuse” and the belief that capitalism is
responsible for the decline of ecosystems are pillars of management practices. On a national level,
disposal of plastic bags in public places is penalized, and the government’s National Recycling
Policy aims to reduce solid waste, especially of plastics, in landfills. All Venezuelan municipalities
strive to achieve 100% waste collection and Caracas has successfully attained this. On the
international stage, Venezuela is a member of the International Convention for the Prevention of
Pollution from Ships, where it signs resolutions that act on plastic waste in marine ecosystems;
such as Resolution MEPC.295(71), which prohibits all at-sea disposal of plastic.

Around 72.7% of landfills in Venezuela are rated Medium to Low harm. Still, plastic disposed of
in landfills is being lessened. The Ministry of Ecosocialism and Water launched a nationwide
education campaign, the 2018 National Recycling Policy, targeted at businesses, individuals,
institutions, and schools. It highlighted the importance of reprocessing by setting guidelines on
recyclability and facilitating a citizen clean-up program where the municipal collection centres
receive recyclables. Also, recognizing the health risks of open-air dumps for the Venezuelan
people, the government has dedicated 200 million United States Dollars (USD) for capacity
building in 8 out of 25 of waste management projects, expecting to reposition 1,110 tons of solid
waste in sealed, sanitary landfills and recycle at least 20% more waste than the current 9%.

All aspects in consideration, Venezuela urges the international community to reintegrate plastic
recycling into its practices. Consumers and businesses should be made aware of the risks of plastic
mismanagement and the benefits of recycling, while relevant charities and NGOs must be
recognized as essential to the development of common goals and invited to future conferences and
United Nations (UN) meetings as representatives on the topic. Furthermore, developed and high-
income developing nations should follow up the economic benefits of increased rates of recycling
by allocating sufficient funding to research dedicated to formulating biodegradable plastics.
However, existing landfills posing dire consequences on public health must be addressed urgently,
considering that to be forced to live in close proximity to such adverse sites must be a human right
Delegation from Represented by
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Al Ma’arifa International Private
School
offense. Overall use of plastic must also be decreased and unnecessary plastics easily replaced by
biodegradable materials should be discouraged at a legislative level.

II. Developing an Effective Framework to Ensure the Success of SDGS by 2030

The SDGS are a set of 17 goals and 169 targets that are paramount to the global development of
all humans, underlining the importance of sustainability for a thriving environment. While the
adoption of such commitments is an accomplishment in of itself, other operations, such as the 2016
Paris Agreement on climate change, are integral to the success of these common goals. Still,
changes have to be made. Unprecedented levels of natural disasters persist, evident in global rising
sea levels and an accelerated loss of biodiversity, continuing to destroy the Earth. As such,
Venezuela hopes to mediate the instability generated by economic war waged on the nation by
unconstitutional opposition threats to the government’s eco-social environmenadvances.

Venezuela’s socialism is symbolic of the SDGS’ modalities; with pro-environment ecosocialism

and a productive economy, it practices social inclusion while opposing theories like capitalism
which grow social injustices. The Public Administration reports on and implements the 2030
Development Agenda with the help of the National Institute of Statistics (INE) under the Council
of Ministries’ supervision. Its concept of “Leave no one behind” encourages the INE to
disaggregate data and SDG Monitoring Indicators on the most vulnerable sectors, such as women
and children, who are also supported by sustainable social investment policies. Furthermore, the
National Development plan 2013-2019 has been enriched by the 2030 Agenda, as shown by the
Council of Vice Presidents’ triweekly meetings on the alignment of the two plans.

In coordination with Venezuela’s beliefs, minimum wage was increased by 3,500% and over 1,000
Social Mission centres were built to help eradicate poverty by providing health, food, and social
services. Other successes include the Housing Mission’s achievement of delivering 2.5 million
homes to the disadvantaged, of which 93% had access to improved water, and a newly reported
100% pension rate for Venezuela’s seniors. Another vulnerable sector has been women, whose
legislative and mayoral representatives have increased from 2015 by 5% and 6% respectively.
Furthermore, the government has invested 195 million USD into recovering infrastructure, and
new international alliances are being established financially. This has helped fund university
programs, which increased enrollment rates by 373% since 1998. Recognizing the importance of
reports to the success of SDGS, the INE has analyzed over 60% of the proposed indicators,
identified 22 as unviable, and created 122 alternatives tailored to Venezuela.

To address the aforementioned issues, Venezuela urges all member states to urgently declare their
commitment to act upon climate change within each country’s power. Governments that refuse to
acknowledge climate change as a global threat should be sanctioned by the UNDP and other
environmental branches of the UN. Furthermore, under Sustainable Development Goals 16 and
17, all countries should be discouraged from placing economic sanctions on developing and least
developed nations, unless said penalties have been approved by the UN. Likewise, all nations
should strive to work on common goals relevant to SDGS regardless of their foreign relations, in
a specialized sector with extraterritorial privileges.
Delegation from Represented by
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Al Ma’arifa International Private
School
Delegation from Represented by
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Al Ma’arifa International Private
School