In Togo, the NGO Les Amis de la Terre continues to sound the alarm on the dangers posed by the use of plastic bags. While it has always played a central role in this fight through training, awareness-raising, talk shows, etc., it is not ready to stop.
On April 08, 2025, the NGO held a workshop that brought together some twenty players, including heads of state structures, CSOs and young climate advocates.
This initiative, which is part of the Economic Justice Resisting Neoliberalism (EJRN) program, aims to build participants' capacities with regard to the program's activities on plastics in 2024, and to mobilize them around the program's priorities for 2025.
The aim is precisely to strengthen the capacities of the 40 participants, by looking back on the actions of 2024, analyzing their scope, and above all, mapping out together the major directions for 2025. The fight against plastic pollution can only be won together. Mobilize; influence; act: these are our watchwords for the months ahead", says Rémy Afoutou, Chairman of the Board of Friends of the Earth.
In 2024, Les Amis de la Terre International has launched a number of initiatives to combat plastic pollution. In Togo, Les Amis de la Terre has led several initiatives to realize this vision. A training workshop on plastic pollution on April 25, addressing brand auditing and advocacy for the application of Decree 2011-003/PR. On June 20, another workshop analyzed regulatory gaps and proposed improvements in plastics management.
For Elorm Kokou Amegadze, Acting Executive Director of the NGO Les Amis de la Terre-Togo, pooling the efforts of all stakeholders is essential.
"For us, it's important to bring all the players together to take stock of the activities carried out in the previous year, and also to mobilize them for the actions we'll be carrying out throughout 2025," he explains.
On a global level, Friends of the Earth International took part in the INC-5 negotiations on the global plastics treaty. On the sidelines of this conference, the network mobilized over 500 activists to demand an end to plastic production. Elorm Kokou Amegadze goes on to say that this struggle must culminate in a binding international convention to ban plastics.
"This year, there will be a major summit in Geneva from August 5 to 14, which we hope will lead to a binding agreement on plastics. And so it's a question of seeing how we can further mobilize players not only from the civil society sector, but also from the public sector and young people on this issue", he adds.
Every year, over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced, with serious consequences for the environment, human health and the economy.
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